A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Garuba Mohammed Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), to 24 years imprisonment for a N318 million fraud involving public funds.
Duku was found guilty of corruption and money laundering after diverting funds belonging to AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account.
The court ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the magnitude and pattern of transactions pointed to deliberate theft of public funds.
Justice James Omotosho also gave Duku the option of paying a fine equivalent to five times the amount stated in each count, bringing the total fine to about N1.6 billion.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) hailed the judgment as a major victory in the fight against corruption, underscoring its commitment to holding public officers accountable.