Court jails ex-accountant-general Nwabuoku for 72 years over N868m fraud

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has handed down a 72-year prison sentence to a former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Anamekwe Nwabuoku, after finding him guilty of money laundering.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, trial judge James Omotosho ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully established its case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.

Nwabuoku had been prosecuted on an amended 9-count charge involving allegations of fraud and money laundering amounting to N868.4 million.

Although the court had earlier granted him bail set at N500 million with two sureties in like sum, the trial proceeded to conclusion with a full conviction on all counts. The court imposed eight years’ imprisonment for each of the nine counts, bringing the total sentence to 72 years. However, Justice Omotosho ordered that the terms run concurrently.

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Describing the offence as ‘appalling,’ the judge condemned Nwabuoku’s diversion of funds earmarked for security and defence during his tenure as director of finance and accounts at the Ministry of Defence.

He also praised the EFCC for what he characterised as a thorough and diligent prosecution of the case. The court further noted that the defence did not dispute testimony from the 9th prosecution witness, who revealed that the former official voluntarily refunded more than N200 million during the investigation.

Background of the case

According to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024, the EFCC accused Nwabuoku of collaborating with several firms, including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, to launder funds suspected to be proceeds of illicit activities.

The anti-graft agency stated that the offences violated provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), specifically section 18, with penalties prescribed under section 15(3) of the law.

Investigators said the offences were committed between 2019 and 2021 while Nwabuoku served at the Ministry of Defence.

His earlier no-case submission was dismissed by the court in November 2025, paving the way for the final judgment.

Nwabuoku was appointed acting Accountant-General on May 20, 2022, by former President Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over an alleged N80 billion fraud.

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He was, however, removed from office in July 2022, just weeks after his appointment, amid reports of an ongoing EFCC investigation into his activities.

Economy Post had reported on July 11, 2024, that the ex-accountant-general had asked for more time in court to refund public funds he and his co-defendant, Felix Nweke, stole. They are charged by the EFCC for money laundering totalling N1.6 billion.