The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Ahmed Idris, the suspended accountant-general of the federation, will be arraigned on Friday.
In May, TheCable had reported how Idris was arrested in Kano after he failed to respond to invitations by the commission to answer questions over the allegation of N80 billion fraud.
Two days later, Idris was suspended indefinitely “without pay” by Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, budget and national planning.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the agency, Idris is expected to be arraigned alongside “Godfrey Olusegun Akindele and Mohammed Kudu Usman”, while a firm — Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited — is also listed in the charge.
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The EFCC said Idris and his co-defendants are indicted on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109.5 billion.
According to one of the charges, the EFCC alleged that Idris received gratification from one Olusegun Akindele, worth N15.1 billion, in exchange for “accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine oil-producing states in the federation”.
“That you, Ahmed Idris between February and December 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation, accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15,136,221,921.46 (Fifteen Billion, One Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-One Naira and Forty-Six Kobo), which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing states in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section,” the charge sheet, according to the EFCC, reads in part.
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“That you, Ahmed Idris, while being the Accountant General of the Federation, and Godfrey Olusegun Akindele while being the Technical Assistant to the Accountant General of the Federation, between February and November 2021, at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, in such capacity, entrusted with a certain property, to wit: N84,390,000,000 (Eighty-Four Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety Million Naira) committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you dishonestly received the said sum from the Federal Government of Nigeria through Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, trading under the name and style of Olusegun Akindele & Co., and you thereby committed.”
The agency also said Idris’ case will be heard before A.O. Adeyemi Ajayi, justice of the federal high court in Abuja.
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