The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured the conviction of Mr. Garuba Duku, a former Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, over a ₦318 million fraud.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, on Wednesday sentenced Duku to 24 years in prison after finding him guilty on six counts of corruption and money laundering filed by the ICPC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
In a statement on Thursday, the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education at the ICPC, Mr. Demola Bakare, said investigations revealed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to the AMMC into his personal account with Fidelity Bank Plc.
The statement detailed how the funds were moved in instalments — ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million — and subsequently transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorised transactions.
ICPC prosecutors told the court that the actions violated financial regulations and amounted to a gross abuse of public office.
“The prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Omotosho ruled.
“The evidence before the court was credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences as charged.”
The judge consequently sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, or an option of fine equivalent to five times the amount involved in each charge — totaling about ₦1.6 billion. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Duku’s defence that the diverted funds were handed over to his superiors was dismissed for lack of evidence.
Reacting to the verdict, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare described the ruling as a major milestone in the Commission’s anti-corruption drive.
“This judgment underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public officers who betray the trust reposed in them are brought to justice,” he said.
“No one entrusted with public funds is above the law. This conviction sends a strong message that corruption will not go unpunished.”
Bakare reaffirmed that the Commission would continue to pursue corruption cases with professionalism and diligence to safeguard public resources.
The ICPC, established in 2000, has recorded several high-profile convictions.
In May 2024, the Commission secured the sentencing of a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps commandant, Christopher Oluchukwu, for employment-related fraud. Similarly, in 2019, a former ICPC board nominee, Dr. Saad Alanamu, and businessman Salman Sulaiman were jailed for bribery-related offences.
Bakare noted that these consistent outcomes demonstrate the Commission’s determination to “promote integrity and accountability in Nigeria’s public institutions.”
