Court Denies Bail to Ex-FCTA Director Garba Dukku

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has denied bail to Garba Dukku, the former Director of Finance and Administration of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison for diverting approximately N319 million in public funds. Dukku sought bail pending his appeal against the Federal High Court's judgment, where he was convicted on six counts of corruption and money laundering.

The court, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, found that Dukku failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances warranting bail. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) prosecuted the case, revealing that between 2012 and 2013, Dukku transferred N318.25 million into his personal account at Fidelity Bank in several transactions before moving the funds to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized purposes.

The trial court dismissed Dukku's defense that the money was handed to superiors, sentencing him to four years on each count and imposing a total fine of about N1.6 billion. The ICPC welcomed the appellate court's decision, reaffirming the need for compelling circumstances in bail applications.