Ex-AGF Anamekwe Nwabuoku Bags 72 Years Imprisonment For Diverting N868.46 Million Security Funds

On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced Anamekwe Nwabuoku, former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), to eight years in prison.

The court, in the judgement delivered by Justice James Omotosho, found the convict guilty on all nine counts of the money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Although the cumulative sentence across all charges amounted to 72 years, the court held that the jail term would run concurrently, meaning the convict would spend only eight years in prison.

Meanwhile, Justice Omotosho held that Nwabuoku’s sentence was without an option of fine.

The court deprecated the convict for diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence.

Describing his action as “appalling”, the court commended the EFCC for conducting a holistic investigation that led to swift prosecution of the case.

Furthermore, the court held that the convict failed to controvert the evidence that he had earlier refunded over N200 million—being part of the funds he looted from the public treasury.

It held that the anti-graft agency successfully established its case against the erstwhile AGoF.

The court had, on November 13, 2025, dismissed a no-case submission the defendant filed to be discharged and acquitted of the charges against him.

Stressing that the totality of evidence adduced by the prosecution established that the defendant had a prima facie case to answer, the court ordered him to open his defence to the charges.

It will be recalled that Nwabuoku was, in May 2022, appointed to temporarily take charge of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), after the then AGoF, Ahmed Idris, was suspended from office and eventually placed on trial for allegedly laundering public funds totalling about N80.2 billion.

EFCC later alleged that the acting AGF, Nwabuoku, had, before his appointment, also dipped his hands into the till.

Investigations into the allegation led to his removal from the office in July 2022, a few weeks after he was appointed.

In the initial 11-count charge it brought before the court, the anti-graft agency accused a former Deputy Director in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Felix Nweke, of complicity in the alleged fraud.

While Nwabuoku was cited as the 1st defendant in the case, Nweke was listed as the 2nd defendant in the case.

The defendants earlier persuaded the court to suspend their trial to enable them to perfect a plea-bargain deal with the EFCC.

However, following the collapse of the planned out-of-court settlement, EFCC opened its case against the ex-acting AGF, even though it delisted his co-defendant from the charge.

In the amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/24, the EFCC alleged that Nwabuoku perpetrated the N868.4m fraud in connivance with four companies: Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), Turge Global Investment Limited (at large), Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited.

It alleged that the defendant committed an offence that was contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011, as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

The EFCC alleged that the former Acting AGoF committed the crime while he served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.

Upon his arraignment on January 15, 2025, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as he was released on bail to the tune of N500m with two sureties in like sum.