ILORIN, Nigeria — The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has adjourned the ₦5.78 billion corruption trial of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, to July 27, 2026.
The decision was delivered on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by the presiding judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, following an oral application by the defense team after the lead counsel fell indisposed.
Okay News reports that the duo is being prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged diversion of public funds belonging to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). Prior to the adjournment, the sixth prosecution witness and EFCC Assistant Commander, Stanley Ujilibo, testified under cross-examination that the former governor illegally approved a request to pull a ₦1 billion loan from the state’s SUBEB counterpart fund to settle civil service salaries, a move contrary to the statutory purpose of the education fund.
During the session, the defense counsel, Abdulrasaq Gold, SAN, sought a pause in proceedings to obtain copies of Ahmed’s official EFCC statement and asset declaration forms from Abuja to facilitate deeper cross-examination. While EFCC prosecution counsel Adebisi Adeniyi opposed the application, arguing that the defense had ample time since the trial commenced in 2024 to secure the papers, Justice Abdulgafar ruled that the defense could recall the witness at a later date once the documents are secured, subsequently scheduling late July for the continuation of the trial.
