THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested Darius Ishaku, the immediate past governor of Taraba State.
The former governor was said to be arrested over fraud allegations amounting to billions of naira but there are conflicting accounts over the amount.
While some media reports said the alleged amount was N27 billion, others reported N9.3 billion.
Ishaku, who was the governor of Taraba State between 2015 and 2023, was reportedly arraigned on 15 charges in the late hours of Friday, September 27, 2024.
The arrest is coming months after the EFCC had invited him for questioning over financial issues relating to the eight years of his administration.
Ishaku was later released on bail.
In the charge sheet, marked CR/792/24, filed before a Federal Capital Territory High Court, the former governor and the former permanent secretary in the state’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, are listed as defendants.
The offence is be contrary to section 315 of the Penal Code A, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria 2007 and punishable under the same section.
The EFCC accused Ishaku and Yero of diverting the sum of N1,010,000,000 to their personal use between August 25, 2015, and March 21, 2016, in Abuja.
Another N1,138,082,097.71 was diverted between July 2015 and May 2019, according to the anti-graft agency.
Both allocations formed part of the 2.5 per cent contingency fund belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
Between September 3, 2015, and January 29, 2018, in Abuja, the duo were accused of diverting the sum of N761,301,000 to defray the loan of N1 billion granted by Zenith Bank Plc. to a company, Worthy Construction Limited.
“That you Ishaku whilst being the governor of Taraba State and Bello Yero whilst being the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, between July 19, 2019, and February 5, 2021, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacity entrusted with dominion over certain property, to wit: an aggregate sum of N3,348,942,411.15, which formed part of the funds belonging to Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and Local Government Councils in the state, and you thereby committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, when you dishonestly diverted the said sum to your own use,” the charge sheet partly read.
Other sums include: N650,686,369.99 contingency fund diverted between January 6, 2019, and April 29, 2021; N193,030,000 between January 2019 and April 29, 2021; and N170,549,842.00 between January 6, 2019, and April 29, 2021, among others.
Recall that in 2016, the EFCC arraigned two officials of Taraba State over N13.6 million fraud allegations related to the procurement of relief materials for victims of the 2012 flood disaster in the state.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at [email protected] (jameskennyogunyale@gmail) or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames