The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Monday, filed 14 fresh charges of alleged N5.78 billion fraud against the former Kwara State governor, Abdulfattah Ahmed, and his Commissioner of Finance, Mr Ademola Banu, before a Kwara State High Court presided by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar.

The duo were charged with alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds meant for the execution of some projects and security of the state.

The fresh re-arraignment of the former governor and his finance commissioner followed the withdrawal of the case last week Wednesday from the Federal High Court, Ilorin where they were formerly standing trial by the EFCC sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin to another division.

Abdulfatah and Banu were first arraigned on a 12-count charge of mismanagement of public funds before Justice Anyadike on April 29, 2024, to which they pleaded not guilty.

However, the presiding judge was transferred in the course of the trial. Hence, the case has to start de-novo.

While the name of ex-governor Ahmed featured in all the 14 counts, Banu’s name did not appear in count 7 where only Ahmed was accused of failure to fill assets declaration form offered him by officers of the EFCC upon arrest contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act No. 1 of 2004, which is an offence punishable with a term of 5 years imprisonment under Section 27(3) of the same Act.

Abdulfatah among sundry issues allegedly spent an aggregate sum of N1,610,730,500.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Ten Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Five Hundred Naira), meant for the security and administration of the state to charter private jets through Travel Messengers Limited, contrary to Section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.

The former governor and his finance commissioner were alleged to have conspired to steal money that was meant to pay salaries of teachers working with Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, meant to provide security and other infrastructural facilities for the people of the State among others.

Count one of the charges read, “That you, ABDULFATAH AHMED (while being the Governor of Kwara State) and ADEMOLA BANU (while being the Commissioner of Finance of Kwara State), on or about 14 January, 2015 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did illegally spend the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) to pay Salaries of civil servants in Kwara State which sum was originally domiciled in the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Matching Grant account and which sum formed part of the funds allocated for the execution of the projects stated in the action plan for the year 2013 and approved by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.”

That you, ABDULFATAH AHMED (while being the Governor of Kwara State) and ADEMOLA BANU (while being the Commissioner of Finance of Kwara State), between 25th July, 2016 and 7th September, 2016 in Ilorin, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, in such capacity having dominion over certain property, to wit; the sum of N990,545,883.64 (Nine Hundred and Ninety Million, Five Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand, Eighty Hundred and Eighty-Three Naira and Sixty-Four Kobo), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said sum, when you dishonestly transferred the said sum from the Kwara SUBEB Matching Grant account into Polaris Bank for the repayment of loan facilities granted to the Kwara State Government by the said bank contrary to the direction of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 315 of the Criminal Code and punishable under the same section.”

When the case was called on Monday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court, that a 14-count charge dated October 15, 2024, was prepared and filed on the same date.

“We urge your Lordship to accept the charge and allow it to be read to the defendants.”

Responding, the lead counsel to the first and second defendants, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, did not object to the application.

Therefore, Justice Abdulgafar granted the application and ordered that the charge be read to the defendants.

The duo pleaded not guilty to all their respective charge when it was read to them.

Thereafter, the defence counsels through a separate application on behalf of their clients, sought the leave of the court to move oral applications for the bail of the defendants.

They pleaded with the Court to allow the bail formerly granted to their clients to continue arguing that the case had started since 2019 and the defendants were granted administrative bail by the Commission, which they had never jumped.

They urged the court to exercise its discretion to admit the first and second defendants to bail as all the offences levelled against them are bailable.

Ruling on the applications, Justice Abdulgafar admitted the former governor (Abdulfatah) and his former Commissioner of Finance, Banu, to bail in the sum of N100 million with two surety each. One of the surety must be a serving or retired permanent secretary in the state.

The case was adjourned till December 4 and 5, 2024, for further hearing.

As part of its ongoing commitment to continually empower the Nigerian media and enable it play the critical watchdog role in the society, Polaris Bank is organizing an open workshop for all classes of Journalist across the media spectrum as one of its critical CSR intervention meant to positively impact key stakeholders.

The 2024 media workshop with the theme: “Integrating AI tools in Contemporary Media practices for Innovation and Excellence” falls within the Bank’s intervention programs under its Education/Capacity Building Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) pillar which deepens media relations, and contribute to the overall development of Nigeria’s media landscape.

Scheduled to hold on Thursday, October 24th, 2024, the media workshop aims to equip media practitioners with the latest tools and skills to navigate evolving challenges of modern journalism. With a focus on available and relevant Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and use, participants will learn how to integrate these technologies into their day-to-day work, streamlining news gathering processes and ensuring accuracy in storytelling. The workshop will also dive deep into contemporary new media tools and practices, while addressing available opportunities that enhances career development.

Focus will also be shed on key topics such as; data journalism, fact-checking, and solutions journalism—ensuring media professionals are equipped to thrive in the digital era.

Building on the success and feedback from previous workshops, especially that of 2023 edition, where hundreds of Journalists participated, the 2024 workshop promises to offer even greater value. This year’s event will highlight cutting-edge trends, such as media entrepreneurship and career development strategies in a competitive media landscape.

To deliver an impactful workshop, the Bank has assembled top faculty and distinguished subject experts as facilitators, including Dr. Chike Mgbeadichie, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos and Lekan Otufodunrin, Executive Director of the Media Career Development Network. Their extensive knowledge and experience in media and communication will guide participants in understanding how to stay relevant, adapt to technological advancements, and maintain responsible journalism practices.

Polaris Bank in the last decade, has been a strong supporter of the Nigerian media and is credited to have been in the forefront of enhancing capacity of Nigerian Journalists through its annual high impact media workshops that has directly benefited over 4,000 media partners across the media spectrum.

Partnering with Journalism Clinic, Polaris Bank blaze the trail in digital literacy for Nigerian Journalists through robust in-person digital media workshop that held in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Akure, Ado Ekiti, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Abuja.

This initiative reflects Polaris Bank’s long-standing commitment to capacity building, particularly in empowering media practitioners to address the challenges of the digital age. By providing access to the latest knowledge and tools, the workshop aims to support the continuous development of the Journalists, and media landscape in Nigeria while fostering sustainable and impactful journalism.

Interested media practitioners can register to attend: Register Here

Polaris Bank was adjudged Nigeria’s Digital Bank of the Year in 2023, 2022 and 2021 in Business Day’s Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reacted to the collapse of the national grid, attributing the incident to an explosion of a nearby transformer, which caused the shutdown of the grid system.

In a statement on Saturday, NERC stated that the grid system is being restored across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), assuring Nigerians that full restoration is underway.

The commission explained that the outage occurred following an explosion at a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 08:15 hours, triggering a cascade of power plant shutdowns due to the sudden loss of load.

“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission notes with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outage in several states thus reversing many of the gains recently achieved in reducing infrastructure deficit and improving grid stability.

Initial reports on the grid disturbance that occurred this morning indicate that today’s outage was triggered by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 0815hrs and associated cascade of power plants shut down arising from the loss of power

“However, efforts to restore supply have advanced with power significantly restored, as at 1300hrs, in 33 states and the FCT,” NERC said.

Furthermore, NERC said that finding a lasting solution to the frequent grid collapses remains a top priority for the commission.

The commission further noted that, in line with the Electricity Act of 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator (ISO) function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing. It expressed optimism that the establishment of an independent System Operator will promote greater discipline in grid management and encourage optimized infrastructure investments.

The regulatory authority also announced plans to conduct an investigative public hearing to identify both the immediate and underlying causes of recurring grid disturbances and widespread outages.

“In line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator function (ISO) out of Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing with the expectation that an independent SO would engender more discipline in grid management and optimised investment in infrastructure.

“In pursuit of finding a permanent resolution to the challenges of the national grid, the Commission shall shortly conduct an investigative public hearing with a view to identifying immediate and remote causes of recurring incidence of grid disturbances and widespread outages.

“The date and venue of the public hearing will shortly be announced in the national dailies and stakeholders are encouraged to participate,” NERC stated.

We earlier reported that the national grid had collapsed for the third time in less than a week, plunging the country into a major blackout.

The grid, which had experienced several disruptions in recent days, was restored just two days ago before suffering another collapse on Saturday

.As of 9 a.m. today, the grid was transmitting zero megawatts to the eleven distribution companies (DisCos) across the nation.

This latest incident marks the eighth grid failure in 2024, with three occurring within the past week.