The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mr. Garuba Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to 24 years imprisonment for his involvement in a ₦318 million fraud.
The verdict, delivered by Justice James Omotosho on Wednesday, followed Duku’s conviction on a six-count charge bordering on corruption and money laundering. The charges were brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
The ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Mr. Demola Bakare, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the Commission’s investigation, between 2012 and 2013, Duku diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account. The illicit funds were reportedly received in several tranches — ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million — before being transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized transactions.
The ICPC prosecutors argued that the financial dealings breached government financial regulations and amounted to a gross abuse of public trust.
During the trial, Duku claimed he handed over the funds to his superiors; however, the court dismissed his defence, ruling that no evidence supported his claims.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho stated that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the ICPC’s evidence as credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish guilt on all counts.
Consequently, the judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment for each of the six counts, or alternatively, a fine equivalent to five times the amount involved in each count — totaling approximately ₦1.6 billion. The sentences, however, will run concurrently.
Reacting to the ruling, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare hailed the judgment as a significant win in the commission’s anti-corruption efforts.
“This judgment reaffirms ICPC’s unwavering commitment to holding public officials accountable. No one entrusted with public funds is above the law, and this conviction sends a strong signal that corruption will not go unpunished,” Bakare said.
He further pledged that the Commission would continue to vigorously pursue all corruption cases with integrity and professionalism to ensure the protection of public resources.
Established in 2000, the ICPC remains one of Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption agencies, tasked with investigating and prosecuting offences under the ICPC Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, among other related laws.
