Land Scam: I Paid N2.3m Into Kwara TV GM’s Account – Witness

The trial of the embattled General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale over alleged N4million land fraud continued on Thursday with a prosecution witness, Sulyman Abdulkareem narrating how he paid N2.3million into the account of the defendant.

A statement from Wilson Uwujaren, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Spokesperson made available to Daily Independent quoted Abdulkareem to have said; “My Lord, after the allocation of ten plots of land to the staff of the Kwara State Television Authority, the General Manager of the Station, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale approached the Director General of Kwara State Bureau of Land that, there is no way the ten plots could be shared among the staff, let them sell it and bring the money.

“The DG now linked me with the defendant who instructed me to look for buyers. I sold about four plots for N2.3m. I then contacted Adebowale who told me to bring the cash, but I said, No.I requested for his account number for proper records, and paid the money into his Stanbic IBTC account”, the witness said.

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the EFCC is prosecuting Adebowale on a six-count charge bordering on corrupt practices before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

Count three of the charge reads; “That you, Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale, being a public officer, as the General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, sometime between May 2015 and June 2015, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself, when you received a cash deposit of the sum of N2.3 million through your IBTC account from Abdulkareem, being proceeds from the sale of land allocated to staff of Kwara State Television and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000”.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till January 14, 2020, for cross-examination of the witness.