The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Wednesday, arraigned the immediate past chairperson of the Kwara State scholarship board, Hajia Fatimah Yusuf and two others over their alleged involvement in bursary fraud.
Yusuf was arraigned alongside Fatai Lamidi, and Stephen Ajewole before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital.
Count two of the charge against the defendants read, “That you, Fatimah Yusuf,(while being the chairman, Kwara state scholarship board) Fatai Lamidi, (while being executive secretary,Kwara state scholarship board) and Ajewole Stephen, (while being the accountant, Kwara state scholarship board) between the months of November 2018, and May 2019, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, while acting in that capacity and entrusted with N50m for the payment of 2018 bursary awards to 10,000 students who are indigenes of Kwara, dishonesty disposed of N6,269,950 out of the above sum in violation of the direction of law prescribing the mode the trust is to be discharged, thereby committed criminal breach of trust punishable under Section 315 of the same law.”
Count seven of the charge read, “That you, Fatimah Yusuf,(while being the chairman,Kwara state scholarship board),Fatai Lamidi (while being executive secretary,Kwara scholarship board), Ajewole Stephen,(while being accountant Kwara scholarship board) between the months of November 2018 and May 2019, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, while acting in that capacity, fraudulently used as genuine forged documents of accounts titled “list of 2018 bursary awards payment vouchers” which you knew to be forged and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal code and punishable under Section 364 of the same law.”
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the seven count charge levelled against them by the anti-graft agency.
Counsel to the defendants, Isau Saka, Y.O. Ahmed urged the judge to grant them bail pending the hearing and determination of the case.
Justice Oyinloye granted them bail of N10m with two sureties in like sum.
The defendants must also submit their travel documents to the court, while further hearing in the matter was adjourned till February 26, 2020, for commencement of trial.
