The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has announced the conviction of former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who was sentenced to 72 years imprisonment over fraud involving N868.46 million.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that Nwabuoku was prosecuted before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges related to money laundering.
“The former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who was prosecuted by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for money laundering involving N868.46 million, has been convicted and sentenced to jail for 72 years,” the statement read.
Nwabuoku had been appointed acting Accountant-General in May 2022 following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over an alleged fraud case, but his tenure lasted only a few weeks before his removal.
The EFCC arraigned him on January 15, 2025, on nine amended counts bordering on money laundering. He was later granted bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties of equal value.
In one of the charges, the commission alleged that Nwabuoku, in collaboration with several companies, including Temero Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, conspired to conceal and convert funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The alleged offences were said to violate provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), attracting penalties under the law.
According to the EFCC, part of the fraud involved laundering approximately N86 million during his tenure as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution presented nine witnesses, including a bank official, Eucharia Ezeodi, and a senior civil servant, Felix Nweke, to establish its case against the defendant.
