Abuja, July 11, 2024 – In a bid to avoid prosecution, a former acting Accountant-General of the Federation has appealed to the Federal High Court for more time to refund public funds allegedly misappropriated during his tenure.
Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who briefly served as the acting Accountant-General in 2022, alongside his co-defendant Felix Nweke, is facing an 11-count charge of money laundering amounting to 1.6 billion naira. The duo is accused of committing the offenses while Nwabuoku was the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, Nwabuoku’s lawyer, Maduakolam Igwe, told Justice James Omotoso that his client had already made substantial refunds to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the case. Nweke’s lawyer, Emeka Onyeaka, also informed the court that his client had taken steps to settle the matter and had refunded a significant portion of the funds.
However, the EFCC counsel, Ogechi Ujam, argued that no formal agreement or settlement had been reached with the defendants, and urged the court to allow the arraignment to proceed as planned.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Omotoso adjourned the case until October 14, giving the defendants more time to conclude the repayment of the allegedly embezzled funds.
Nwabuoku was appointed as the acting Accountant-General of the Federation in May 2022, replacing the suspended Ahmed Idris, who was embroiled in an 80 billion naira fraud scandal. However, Nwabuoku’s tenure was short-lived, as he was removed from office just a few weeks later in July 2022.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts by the Nigerian government to tackle corruption in public institutions and recover stolen public funds. The outcome of this case will be closely watched as it could set a precedent for similar cases involving high-ranking government officials.
