A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mr. Garuba Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, to 24 years in prison for the fraudulent diversion of ₦318 million in public funds.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the ruling on Wednesday, convicting Duku on a six-count charge of corruption and money laundering brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to the ICPC, Duku diverted the funds between 2012 and 2013 into his personal Fidelity Bank account in multiple instalments, later transferring the money through Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized use.
The court dismissed Duku’s claim that the funds were handed to superiors due to lack of evidence. Justice Omotosho held that the ICPC had “proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” and described its evidence as “credible, consistent, and sufficient.”
Duku was sentenced to four years on each count, to run concurrently, or a fine totaling approximately ₦1.6 billion.
Reacting to the verdict, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare said the judgment “underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public officers who betray the trust reposed in them are brought to justice.”
“No one entrusted with public funds is above the law,” he added.
