Ex-President Buhari's son-in-law arraigned for diverting public funds

Gimba Yau, former Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and an in-law of Nigeria’s former president Muhammadu Buhari has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for diverting $65 million, which was earmarked for the construction of 962 residential units at the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy City in Kubwa, Abuja. Yay has been married to Fatima Buhari, the former president’s daughter, since 2016. Bola Ogunsola, a former FMBN director, and Tarry Rufus, managing director of T-Brend Fortunes Nigeria Limited, were arraigned alongside Ya’au Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

The defendants were charged with a five-count marked FHC/ABJ/CR/333/24 by the ICPC, who accused them of violating the Public Enterprises Regulatory Commission Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. READ ALSO: Buhari’s son-in-law declared wanted over $65 million fraud The ICPC accused Yau of authorising the payment of N3.78 billion to Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited for the project.



It also noted that this made the project unfinished, as Good Earth Power Nigeria Limited lacked the capacity to execute it. Yau, Ogunsola and Rufus were accused of mismanaging a N14 billion loan secured from Ecobank Nigeria PLC in 2012 for the project. This mismanagement of funds has been said to have caused significant financial loss to the bank FMBN.

The case has been adjourned to February 6, 2025, for further hearing..