Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, to 72 years in prison without an option of fine.
Delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proven the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge convicted Nwabuoku on all counts and ordered each of the nine counts to carry eight years imprisonment, to run concurrently.
Justice Omotosho described Nwabuoku’s diversion of funds intended for security and defence while serving as Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling.”
He commended the EFCC for the thoroughness of its prosecution.
The court noted that the evidence of the ninth prosecution witness, which showed that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded over N200 million of the misappropriated funds during the investigation, was uncontested by the defence.
Nwabuoku had been arraigned on January 15, 2025, on a nine-count amended charge and was granted bail of N500 million with two sureties in the same sum.
The fraudulent acts were committed while Nwabuoku served as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
