Former Acting Accountant-General Nwabuoku to Know Fate April 13 in ₦868m Money Laundering Trial

The long-running legal battle over the alleged disappearance of ₦868.4 million from the Ministry of Defence is nearing its conclusion. A Federal High Court in Abuja has officially fixed April 13, 2026, as the day it will deliver judgment in the money laundering case against the former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku.

Justice James Omotosho announced the date on Monday after a high-stakes session where both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the defense team adopted their final arguments. The case, which has seen 14 months of intense legal maneuvering, centers on allegations that Nwabuoku used his former position as Director of Finance at the Ministry of Defence to funnel public funds into a web of private “front companies.”

Nwabuoku’s rise and fall remains one of the most dramatic chapters in recent civil service history. Appointed as the nation’s top accountant in May 2022 to clean up the office following the suspension of his predecessor, Ahmed Idris, Nwabuoku found himself under the EFCC’s radar just weeks into the job. He was swiftly removed from office and arraigned on charges that he helped convert proceeds of “unlawful activities” between 2019 and 2021.

Throughout the trial, the former AGF has fought to protect his “State of Harmony,” insisting that his long career was built on integrity. He told the court that the evidence presented by the prosecution was circumstantial and that he was never a signatory to the corporate accounts used in the alleged scam. However, the EFCC has pointed to a ₦220 million refund previously made by the defendant as a “smoking gun,” though Nwabuoku maintains that money was a legitimate personal investment.

With the final papers signed and the arguments closed, the “Center of Accountability” in Abuja now waits for April 13. For Nwabuoku, it is a day that will determine whether his 35-year career ends in total exoneration or a landmark conviction for financial crimes.