The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has refused an application for bail filed by former Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) official Garba Mohammed Dukku, who is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence over the N319m fraud case.
Dukku, a former Director of Finance and Administration under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), sought to be released from prison while awaiting the outcome of his appeal against his conviction and sentence. However, the appellate court dismissed the request, ruling that he failed to present exceptional circumstances that would justify his temporary release.
Dukku was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering offences. Trial Judge Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022, following prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The court found him guilty on a six-count charge relating to the diversion of public funds belonging to the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council. According to the ICPC, the N319m fraud case involved the diversion of N318.25 million between 2012 and 2013 into Dukku’s personal Fidelity Bank account.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that the money was transferred into the account through several transactions, including: ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, ₦36.3 million
Investigators further established that the diverted funds were later transferred to various bureau de change operators for purposes not authorised by the government.
During the trial, Dukku argued that he merely handed the money over to his superiors and did not personally benefit from the transactions. However, the Federal High Court rejected the defence, holding that he failed to provide credible evidence to support the claim. Following his conviction, the court sentenced him to 24 years imprisonment.
As an alternative to serving the prison term, the court imposed the option of paying fines amounting to five times the value of each count, bringing the total financial penalty to approximately ₦1.6 billion.
Having already begun serving his sentence, Dukku approached the Court of Appeal seeking bail pending the determination of his appeal. A three-member panel of justices unanimously declined the application. The appellate court ruled that the applicant failed to establish any exceptional circumstance that would persuade the court to exercise its discretion in his favour. The judges consequently dismissed the bail application for lacking merit.
Although it refused the request for temporary release, the Court of Appeal granted an accelerated hearing of Dukku’s substantive appeal challenging both his conviction and sentence. The N319m fraud case will now proceed through the appellate process while the former FCTA official remains in custody serving his prison term.
