ABUJA — A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday sentenced former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, to a total of 72 years in prison over his involvement in a N868.4 million fraud case.
The judgment was delivered by Justice James Omotosho, who found the former government official guilty on multiple counts of money laundering. The case was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accused Nwabuoku of illegally handling and diverting public funds amounting to N868,465,000.
During earlier proceedings in February, Nwabuoku admitted before the court that he authorised the transfer of funds from the Ministry of Defence to four private companies. He claimed the transfers were made for what he described as “classified” or security-related purposes.
He further revealed that in a statement made to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on February 2, 2025, he acknowledged overseeing the movement of the funds for undisclosed security operations.
The companies linked to the transactions include Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited.
Nwabuoku’s admission marked a sharp reversal from his earlier position in court, where he had denied any connection with the companies and insisted he only became aware of them during the trial.
During cross-examination, prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, confronted him with his prior statement to the ICPC, exposing inconsistencies in his testimony.
The EFCC argued that there was no evidence to support Nwabuoku’s claim that the funds were used for legitimate security purposes. Prosecutors noted that no official documents were presented to justify the transactions as lawful government expenditure.
According to the anti-graft agency, the transfers were part of a wider scheme in which public funds were allegedly diverted and routed through private companies under the guise of security spending.
In a related development, Nwabuoku told the court that he acquired his residence through legitimate means. However, under further questioning, he admitted that a cheque worth N64 million, issued by Mdavi Limited, was used to pay City Gate Homes for the property.
This disclosure raised additional concerns from the prosecution regarding the true source of the funds and his relationship with the company.
The EFCC had arraigned Nwabuoku on an amended nine-count charge bordering on money laundering, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
With the conviction, the court upheld the EFCC’s position that the funds were unlawfully diverted and laundered through private entities, bringing the high-profile case to a close.
