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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday convicted and sentenced former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, to a total of 72 years in prison over a fraudulent deed involving N868 million.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), successfully established the nine count charge of money laundering against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
“The defendant is hereby convicted as charged,” the judge declared.
Nwabuoku was found guilty on all nine counts and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment on each count. The cumulative sentence amounts to 72 years, although the court ordered that the terms run concurrently.
Justice Omotosho described the offence as appalling, stressing that the funds misappropriated were earmarked for critical security and defence needs during Nwabuoku’s tenure as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence.
The judge also praised the EFCC for its thorough handling of the case, noting that the agency demonstrated diligence throughout the prosecution.
In addition, the court highlighted that evidence presented by the ninth prosecution witness indicating that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded over N200 million during the investigation was not disputed by the defence.
Nwabuoku was arraigned on January 15, 2025, on an amended nine-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024, with the EFCC listing him as the sole defendant.
He had earlier secured bail set at N500 million, with two sureties in like sum.
The court heard that the offences were committed between 2019 and 2021 while he served in the Ministry of Defence as Director of Finance and Accounts.