Alleged N109.5bn Fraud: Court Adjourns Former AGF’s Trial

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday adjourned proceedings in the trial-within-trial involving former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, who is facing charges over the alleged diversion of N109.5bn in public funds.

The trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, ordered the adjournment following the conclusion of testimony from a defense witness regarding how the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), obtained statements from the former AGF.

EFCC is prosecuting Idris alongside Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.

The defendants face a 14-count charge bordering on stealing and the fraudulent diversion of public funds totalling N109.5bn.

The ongoing trial-within-trial was originally ordered by the court on November 22, 2022.

This followed an application by Idris’ lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, who argued that statements made by the former AGF to the EFCC were obtained involuntarily through deception and inducement.

At the resumed hearing, the defence called Hajiya Safiya Idris, who testified that EFCC officials asked her to sign as a witness to a statement made by Idris and assured her he would be released. She maintained that she signed the document on that basis.

During cross-examination by prosecution counsel A.O. Atolagbe, the witness admitted that she was never under investigation or officially invited by the anti-graft agency, having gone to the EFCC office of her own volition.

Following her testimony, Justice Halilu adjourned the matter until October 13, 2026, for both parties to adopt their final written addresses on the voluntariness of the defendant’s statements.