A former director of finance and administration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Garuba Mohammed Duku, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja over a money laundering offence involving hundreds of millions of naira.
Justice James Omotosho handed down the verdict on Friday after finding Duku guilty on six separate counts of money laundering brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The conviction followed a thorough examination of evidence and exhibits presented by the prosecution, as well as testimonies from witnesses who appeared before the court during the trial.
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In delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho imposed a four-year sentence for each of the six counts, which collectively amounted to 24 years imprisonment.
However, in response to an appeal for mercy by the defence and considering that the convict had no previous criminal record, the judge ruled that the jail terms would run concurrently. This effectively reduced the total time Duku will spend in custody to four years, beginning from October 3, 2025.
The court further granted Duku an alternative to avoid serving the prison term by paying a fine of ₦1.6 billion to the Federal Government, provided the payment is made as ordered.
According to Daily Post, Duku, who previously held the position of director of finance and administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), was found guilty of unlawfully acquiring ₦318 million belonging to his office.
His conviction was based on Section 18(2) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act after the court dismissed the defence put forward by his legal team.
Justice Omotosho further ordered that should Duku fail to pay the stipulated fine, he would serve his prison sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
