How AGF, Ahmed Idris, laundered N80 billion – EFCC

 

ABUJA, Nigeria – More facts have emerged how Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Ahmed Idris laundered the sum of N80 billion.

Recall that the Accountant General was arrested on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in connection with diversion of funds and money laundering to the tune of N80 billion.

EFCC said its intelligence showed that the AGF amassed the N80 billion through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.

The Accountant General, the EFCC said laundered the money through real estate investment in Kano and Abuja.

The EFCC said upon stumbling on the  fraud, the AGF was invited for interrogation but that he turned down the offer prompting his arrest.

Born November 25, 1960, Ahmed Idris was appointed Accountant General of the Federation  in June 25, 2015. He succeeded Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla who was sacked by Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly misappropriating N2.5 billion of security agencies’ funds.

Ahmed  Idris was re-appointed Accountant General in 2019. Until his appointment, he was a director in the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel. He is a member of the Association of National Accountant of Nigeria (ANAN).

His tenure has been characterised with allegations of fraud. In April 2021, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) petitioned Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami to probe him  after discovery of over ₦106 billion missing from the budgets of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in 2018.

Investigation by SERAP found the money vanished after reviewing the 2018 Office of the Auditor General for the Federation report and requested that Malami ask Idris along with Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Zainab Ahmed “to explain why they allegedly failed to ensure strict compliance with relevant legislation, rules and regulations across all MDAs, despite the warning and recommendations by the Auditor-General.