Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, to a 72-year jail term without fine option on Monday, March 23, for nine counts of money laundering.
The judge ruled that the EFCC proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing Nwabuoku’s diversion of over N200 million in security and defence funds during his tenure as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence (2019-2021) as “appalling.”
Omotosho handed down eight years per count, totaling 72 years, but ordered the terms to run concurrently, meaning Nwabuoku effectively serves the maximum single term, and noted unchallenged evidence that the convict voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned funds during investigation while praising the EFCC’s meticulous prosecution.
This landmark ruling underscores ongoing anti-corruption efforts targeting high-profile public officials misappropriating defence allocations.
