The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission announced on Monday that a former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, has been convicted and sentenced to 72 years imprisonment for fraud involving N868.46 million.

The commission made the disclosure in a post on its official X handle, stating that Nwabuoku was prosecuted before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges related to money laundering.

“The former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who was prosecuted by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for money laundering involving N868.46 million, has been convicted and sentenced to jail for 72 years,” the statement read.

Nwabuoku was appointed Acting Accountant-General of the Federation in May 2022 after the suspension of Ahmed Idris over an alleged N800 million fraud, but he was removed from the position a few weeks later.

The EFCC arraigned him on January 15, 2025, on nine amended counts of money laundering.

The court granted him bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum.

In the first count, the anti-graft agency alleged that Nwabuoku, alongside several companies including Temero Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, conspired to convert funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The alleged offence contravened Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and is punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

The commission further stated that the offences involved the alleged laundering of about N86 million while Nwabuoku served as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.

According to the EFCC, the prosecution called nine witnesses during the trial, including a Zenith Bank staff member, Eucharia Ezeodi, and a director in the federal civil service, Felix Nweke.