A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted former director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Ishaq Kawu of allegations of mismanaging a N2.5 billion seed grant intended for the digital switchover (DSO) initiative.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo ruled that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) failed to substantiate its case against Mr Kawu and his co-defendants.
Kawu was arraigned in 2019 alongside Lucky Omoluwa, chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited and the company’s chief operating officer Dipo Onifade. The trio faced allegations of diverting funds allocated to the federal government’s DSO project.
The ICPC had accused Kawu of misleading the minister of information and culture into approving the payment of N2.5 billion to Pinnacle Communications, a private company owned by Omoluwa. The agency further alleged that Omoluwa, whose firm was deemed ineligible for the grant, transferred N537.25 million to a bureau de change for conversion into cash and received the dollar equivalent at his residence in Kaduna.
Initially, the defendants faced a 12-count charge, which was later amended to five counts. However, Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of all defendants.
The case, which had drawn significant public attention, marks the conclusion of one of the high-profile corruption allegations linked to the federal government’s DSO project.
