Taiwo Popoola
Former governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku was on Thursday admitted to bail in the sum of N150 million by a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court in the alleged N27 billion fraud charge brought against him by the Federal Government.
The former governor was granted the bail by Justice Sylvanus Oriji with two sureties in the same amount.
One of the two sureties must be a Federal Government employee of the rank of Director.
Similarly, the two sureties must be residents in the FCT with their house addresses to be verified by the Registrar of the Court.
Besides, Justice Oriji barred the former governor and his co-defendant, Bello Hero, from traveling out of the country except with the permission of the court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through its counsel, Rotimi Jacobs did not oppose the bail.
Jacobs noted that the EFCC had on its own granted Ishaku administrative bail and he did not jump bail.
Justice Oriji after granting the bail fixed November 4, 5 and 13 for commencement of trial in the alleged fraud.
Ishaku, who left office in 2023 after serving as governor for eight years, was slammed with 15 count charges by the EFCC but pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on Monday.
According to the charge sheet dated September 27, the former governor and the former Permanent Secretary of Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, are the two defendants in the case.
In the charge marked CR/792/24, the EFCC accused the defendants of diverting the sum of N1,010,000,000 to their personal use between August 25, 2015, and March 21, 2016, in Abuja.
The agency said the amount formed part of the 2.5 per cent contingency funds belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The EFCC noted that the duo committed an offence 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.
Ishaku and Yero were also accused of diverting an aggregate sum of N1,138,082, 097.71 which formed part of the 2.5 per cent contingency fund belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs between July 2015 and May 2019.
Also, between September 3, 2015, and January 29, 2018, in Abuja, the defendants were accused of diverting the sum of N761,301,000 to defray the loan of N1bn granted by Zenith Bank Plc. to your 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, Taraba State 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 sum formed part of the funds belonging to Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Taraba State and Local Government Councils in Taraba 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 that allegedly formed part of the contingency fund diverted by the defendants include N650,686,369.99 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.
