An investigator with the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Stanley Ujilibo, told a State High Court in Ilorin on Wednesday that no money was directly released to former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in connection with the alleged diversion of N5.78 billion of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) fund.

The EFCC investigator further stated that neither the former governor nor the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) was a signatory to the Kwara State SUBEB (KWSUBEB) account.

Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Demola Banu, are currently standing trial over the alleged diversion of over N5 billion in SUBEB funds in the state.

Ujilibo, who is the sixth prosecution witness (PW6) and a member of the EFCC detective team, made the disclosure during cross-examination by the counsel to the first defendant, Abdulrasaq Gold (SAN).

However, the witness clarified that the former governor did give approval for a request to secure a N1 billion loan from the state's counterpart fund of SUBEB for the payment of workers' salaries.

He explained that this approval was granted following a request by the second defendant, the erstwhile Finance Commissioner, Alhaji Demola Banu. According to Ujilibo, using the fund to pay salaries was contrary to the original purposes for which the SUBEB fund was meant.

Ujilibo also revealed that the commission did not focus its investigation on the former governor's personal account because the petition before the EFCC did not link the diverted funds to it.

He added that none of the accounting officers of the Kwara State SUBEB are standing trial before the court over the matter, noting that they are currently "witnesses" in the case.

During the cross-examination, the counsel to the first defendant applied for an adjournment to enable him to request the statement made by Ahmed before the EFCC in Abuja, as well as the Asset Declaration forms he had filled. He sought these documents to further cross-examine the PW6.

The application was opposed by the EFCC counsel, Adebisi Adeniyi, who argued that the defendant had ample time to procure the documents since the trial commenced in 2024.

"My lord, we are constrained to oppose this application. The last time this matter came up before your lordship was on February 16. It was to come up in April and was adjourned to April 20 and 21 for the continuation of the trial. The first defendant had enough time to request any document to cross-examine the witness," Adeniyi said.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, refused the application for adjournment. However, he stated that the learned counsel was at liberty to recall the witness for further cross-examination if needed.

The cross-examination continued briefly before the defence counsel informed the court that he was done with the witness. The trial was subsequently adjourned to July 27, 2026.