Former Bauchi Accountant-General Faces 16 Charges in N11bn Fraud Case

Former Bauchi Accountant-General Sa’idu Abubakar has been arraigned on 16 charges over an alleged N11 billion fraud involving motorcycle procurement projects and the diversion of public funds.

A former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, Sa’idu Abubakar, has been arraigned before a state High Court over an alleged N11 billion fraud linked to motorcycle procurement projects.

Abubakar was docked on Friday on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged diversion of public funds, forgery, criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, and related financial offences.

According to court documents, the former accountant-general allegedly diverted N3 billion from a loan facility obtained from UBA Bank that was earmarked for the purchase of 5,000 motorcycles reportedly found to be non-existent.

The prosecution further alleged that he misled the Bauchi State House of Assembly and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government by presenting certain loan facilities as having received official government approval when they had not been duly authorised.

Investigators claimed that the alleged misrepresentation resulted in the issuance and use of approval documents that lacked lawful authorisation, thereby facilitating the disputed transactions.

The charge sheet also accused Abubakar of diverting an additional N4.65 billion and N3.36 billion from separate loan facilities secured from Polaris Bank and UBA Bank for motorcycle procurement projects.

Prosecutors alleged that the defendant created Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs) without proper approval and possessed documents suspected to have been forged in connection with the transactions.

To establish its case, the prosecution said it would present a range of documentary evidence, including Executive Council resolutions, House of Assembly records, official correspondence, bank documents, investigative reports, witness statements, and ISPO records.

The prosecution also disclosed that several government officials, investigators, financial experts, and other individuals connected to the transactions would testify during the trial.

The case is expected to continue before the Bauchi State Financial Crimes Court, where the defendant will respond to the allegations brought against him.

No plea or final determination has yet been announced, and the allegations remain subject to judicial examination as proceedings continue.