Ex-FCTA Director Jailed 24 Years For N318 Million Fraud

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a former Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mr Garuba Duku, to 24 years in prison for diverting N318 million belonging to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed the conviction in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Mr Demola Bakare.

According to the ICPC, Duku was arraigned on a six-count charge of corruption and money laundering in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022. Justice James Omotosho, who presided over the case, found the defendant guilty on all counts after the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Investigations revealed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted N318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account. The court was told that the funds were received in several tranches: N56.25 million, N71 million, N53 million, N54 million, N46 million, and N36.3 million, and subsequently laundered through Bureau de Change operators.

The ICPC stated that Duku’s actions breached public financial regulations and amounted to a gross abuse of office. During the trial, the defendant claimed that the funds were transferred to his superiors; however, the court dismissed this argument as unsubstantiated.

In his judgment, Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution’s evidence was “credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences charged.” He sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, to run concurrently, with an option of a fine totalling about N1.6 billion, five times the amount involved in the offence.

Reacting to the verdict, ICPC spokesperson Bakare described the judgment as a significant victory in the Commission’s ongoing efforts to combat corruption and financial misconduct in the public sector.