Alleged N27bn Fraud: Ex-Taraba Gov, Ishaku Darius, Gets N150m Bail

Former governor of Taraba State Darius Ishaku has been admitted to bail in N150 million by the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in the alleged N27 billion fraud brought against him by the federal government.

Justice Sylvanus Oriji granted bail for the former governor on Thursday, with two sureties in the same amount.

The court said one of the two sureties must be a civil servant and must be a director.

Similarly, the two sureties must be residents of the FCT, and the Registrar of the Court must verify their house addresses.

The court stopped the former governor and his co-defendant, Bello Yero, from travelling out of the country.

It said they must obtain the court’s permission to travel out of the country.

Through its counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court (EFCC) did not oppose the former governor’s bail request.

His ground was that EFCC   granted him administrative bail independently and did not jump the bail.

Justice Oriji, after granting bail, fixed November 4, 5, and 13 for the commencement of the trial in the alleged fraud.

Ishaku, who left office in 2023 after serving as governor for eight years, was charged with 15 counts by the EFCC but pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on Monday.

The former governor and the former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, are the two defendants in the copy of the charge sheet dated September 27.

In the charge marked CR/792/24, the EFCC accused the defendants of diverting 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 from 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 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.