By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Anamekwe Nwabuoku, a former acting accountant-general of the federation, to 72 years in prison for money laundering.
Justice James Omotosho, delivering the judgment on Monday, ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had successfully proven its case against Nwabuoku beyond a reasonable doubt.
Nwabuoku was arraigned on an amended nine-count charge involving money laundering and fraud amounting to N868.4 million. He had previously been granted bail set at N500 million, with two sureties in the same amount.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024, saw the EFCC accuse Nwabuoku of conspiring with several companies—including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited—to convert funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful acts.
According to the anti-graft agency, the offenses violated Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), and were punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. The commission stated that Nwabuoku committed the crimes while serving as director of finance and accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
The court had earlier dismissed a no-case submission filed by the former official in November 2025.
Nwabuoku was appointed acting accountant-general of the federation on May 20, 2022, by then-president Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of his predecessor, Ahmed Idris, over an alleged N80 billion fraud. However, he was removed from the position in July 2022—just weeks after taking office—following reports that he was under investigation by the EFCC.
