Date: 2021-06-19

The Supreme Court has validated the 12-year jail term handed down to a former Chairman of the Governing Council of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Saadu Alanamu, by the Kwara State High Court.

In an unanimous decision of its panel led by Uwani Abba-Aji, the Supreme Court struck out all the grounds of appeals as "incompetent, misconceived and lacking in merit".

A statement issued Friday by the Independent Corruption Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), which prosecuted the case stated that the apex court, based on its findings, affirmed Mr Alanaumu's conviction and the 12-year jail term imposed on him.

ICPC's statement signed by its spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said Mr Alanamu was nominated in 2017 into the board of the ICPC before he was dropped following allegations of corruption.

Mr Alanamu was investigated by ICPC on allegations of receiving N5 million bribe from a contractor, Salman Sulaiman, the Chief Executive Director of Namylas Nig. Ltd, as a kickback for the award of contracts in the polytechnic.

They were subsequently tried before the judge, Mahmud Abdulgafar, of Kwara State High Court, in Ilorin, on eight counts of bribery.

They had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

But the court during trial was informed of how Mr Alanamu ensured that the contract for the construction and furnishing of an auditorium in Kwara State Polytechnic, at the cost of N182.3 million, was awarded to a company belonging to his friend when it was not qualified to execute the contract.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported in 2019 how the lower court convicted Mr Alanamu alongside Mr Sulaiman, for collecting and giving a bribe respectively.