The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned former governor of Kwara State Abdulfatah Ahmed at Federal High Court Ilorin.
However, journalists were barred from covering the arraignment of the former governor as they were denied entry into the court.
Speaking with journalists outside the court premises, Wahab Oba, Chief Press Secretary to Ahmed, lamented what he described as secret trial of the former governor, saying the trial is a political persecution.
“The former governor Dr. Ahmed is supposed to be arraigned by the EFCC so we are here to witness the commencement of the trial. Ordinarily the court is an open place, our concern is that the trial should be transparent and open.
“We cannot understand why the police have denied especially journalists from covering the event,” Oba said.
Ahmed was taken by the anti-graft agency on Monday where he was being quizzed over transactions running into billions of naira during his time as governor of the state.
Ahmed was governor of the North Central state between May 2011 and May 2019 before he handed over to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
He was once quizzed in May 2021 by a crack team of operatives at the EFCC headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja, the nation’s capital, in connection with the alleged diversion of funds to the tune of about N9 billion from the coffers of the Kwara State Government.
The money was alleged to have been diverted during Ahmed’s tenure as governor of the state, and when he served as the Commissioner for Finance in the administration of ex-Governor Bukola Saraki.
