By our reporter
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial-within-trial in the alleged N109.5 billion fraud case involving former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, until October 13, 2026.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Idris alongside Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited on a 14-count charge bordering on the alleged stealing and diversion of public funds.
Justice Yusuf Halilu adjourned the trial after counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, presented his first witness, Abubakar Aliyu, a former staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Aliyu testified that he was part of the team that investigated the alleged fraud and found that Idris had diverted public funds to his personal accounts.
The witness also stated that the investigation revealed that Idris had used his position to siphon public funds, which were then laundered through various accounts.
The defence counsel, Idris Lukman, SAN, however, raised objections to the admissibility of some documents presented by the prosecution, arguing that they were not properly authenticated.
Justice Halilu ruled that the objections would be considered at the end of the trial, and adjourned the case until October 13, 2026, for further hearing.
The trial-within-trial is part of the ongoing efforts by the EFCC to recover stolen public funds and bring perpetrators to justice.
Idris, who served as Accountant-General of the Federation from 2015 to 2022, was arrested by the EFCC in May 2022 and has been charged with various offences, including money laundering and breach of trust.
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