Rita Odafe
Sulieman Garba Bulkwang Faces Fraud Charges
Sulieman Garba Bulkwang, who serves as the Director of Human Resources Management at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), has been charged with fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He is facing five counts related to the illegal diversion of funds and money laundering, involving a total amount of N223,412,909 (over Two Hundred and Twenty-Three Million Naira).
The first charge states that Bulkwang allegedly advised Umaefulem Donatus Chibueze, managing director of consulting firms tied to REA, to divert N138,123,969 (One Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million Naira) from an amount of N279,330,000 (Two Hundred and Seventy-Nine Million Naira). This action allegedly involved proceeds from unlawful activities, in violation of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022.
The second count accuses him of converting N45,000,000 (Forty-Five Million Naira) in July 2023, which was part of funds transferred to various companies affiliated with REA, knowing it constituted proceeds from illegal activities. This also constitutes an offense under the same money laundering legislation.
Upon the reading of the charges, Bulkwang pleaded “not guilty.” Since he was without legal representation, the prosecuting attorney, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, requested a date for trial and urged that Bulkwang be held in a correctional facility.
Justice Abdulmalik has scheduled the next hearing for February 3, 2025, specifically for discussing the defendant’s bail request, and ordered his detention at Kuje Correctional Center in the meantime.
