Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin
The trial of the former chairperson of the Kwara state Scholarship Board, Hajia Fatimoh Yusuf and two others over alleged bursary fraud commenced Wednesday at a Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital.
The two other suspects are Alhaji Fatai Lamidi (board executive secretary) and Stephen Ajewole (board accountant).
Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on the 15th January this year arraigned in court for alleged N50 million fraud.
The charge against them read: “That you, Fatimah Yusuf (while being the chairman, Kwara state Scholarship Board), Fatai Lamidi (while being the 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 honourable court, while acting in those capacities and entrusted with N50m for the payment of 2018 bursary awards to 10,000 students who are indigenes of Kwara state, dishonestly 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 committing criminal breach of trust punishable under Section 315 of the same law.”
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When presented by the Prosecuting counsel, O.B Akinsola, the first prosecution witness, Isiaka Afeez Adeshina, a former executive member of the National Association of Kwara State Students gave evidence against the suspects Adeshina told the court that the scholarship board officials listed his name as one of the beneficiaries of the 2018 bursary award at the University of Ilorin, denying that he did not benefit from the money.
“My Lord, I happened to be a student of the University of Ilorin, my name was shortlisted as one of the beneficiaries of the 2018 bursary award released by the state government. My serial number on the list is 725, but I did not collect the money. Each student was entitled to the sum of five thousand naira, but to my surprise, when I was invited by the EFCC, they confronted me with some documents especially the payment vouchers, I found my name among those that had been paid.
They signed against my name as a beneficiary, the signature is not mine, my signature was forged.
“When they started the payment, they did not pay up to 350 students. They told us they were going for Jumat prayers, they came back and said the money had finished.”
Presiding Judge Sikiru Oyinloye then adjourned the case to 11th of March 2020 for continuation of trial.
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