Former Acting Accountant-General of the federation, Anamekwe Nwabuoku, has been sentenced to 72 years imprisonment for money laundering, by a federal high court in Abuja.
The trial judge James Omotosho,while delivering judgment, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) proved its case against Nwabuoku.
Nwabuoku who was arraigned on a nine-count amended charge bordering on money laundering and fraud to the tune of N868.4 million, was convicted on all nine counts and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment on each count, amounting to a cumulative 72 years.
The court, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The trial judge described Nwabuoku’s diversion of funds meant for security and defence, while serving as director of finance and accounts at the ministry of defence, as “appalling”.
The judge also commended the EFCC for what he described as a meticulous prosecution of the case, noting that the testimony of the ninth prosecution witness, that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded over N200 million during the investigation, was not challenged by the defence.
In the charge that dads filed in 2024, the anti-graft agency accused Nwabuoku of conspiring with several companies, including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, to convert funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The alleged offence, according to the EFCC, contravenes section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), and is punishable under section 15(3) of the Act.
The commission said Nwabuoku committed the offences while serving as the director of finance and accounts in the ministry of defence between 2019 and 2021.
The former acting accountant general had filed a no-case submission which was dismissed by the court in November 2025.
He was appointed acting accountant-general of the federation on May 20, 2022, by then President Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over alleged N80 billion fraud.
Nwabuoku was, however, removed from the position in July 2022, barely weeks after assuming office, following reports that he was under EFCC investigation.
(Editor: Roluke Ogundele)
