Jonah Otunla, ex-AGF, standing trial for alleged N24 billion fraud, dies at 69
By Emma Ogbuehi
A former Accountant General of the Federation, Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla, is dead.
He reportedly died in an undisclosed hospital in the United Kingdom.
Born on June 12, 1955, Jonah Otunla died less than a week after his 69th birthday.
He was appointed Accountant General of the Federation by former President Goodluck Jonathan on June 28, 2011, a position he held until 2015 when he was removed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Until his death, Jonah Otunla was being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in relation to two cases — the alleged diversion of about N24 billion meant for disengaged staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and N2 billion allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for personal use.
He later refunded N6.3 billion to the coffers of the Federal Government to avoid being prosecuted for looting the treasury.
TheNiche gathered that Otunla died in the early hours of Monday, June 17, 2024.
Otunla, who hailed from Oyo State, once served as a board member of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He had his secondary education at Baptist High School, Saki, where he obtained the West African School Certificate in 1972 before proceeding to University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Financial Accounting.
He became a chartered accountant in 1986 but received the fellowship of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1998.