High profile corruption: Akpabio in whopping N108b fraud case, Yerima, Tukur too

In our review of high profile corruption trials today, a serving Minister under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and former Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio was tried in a multibillion Naira fraud case.

Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, a three-term Senator and former Governor of Zamfara State also featured prominently in a one billion fraud case.

Mamman Tukur and others were also caught in a nine-count charge of fuel subsidy fraud amounting to N1.8 billion.

Read on:

Godswill Obot Akpabio – N108 billion fraud

Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio was the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State for eight years. He is currently representing APC, Akwa-Ibom North-West Senatorial District and he is being investigated for corruption.

Akpabio, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, was twice invited by the EFCC in 2015, over allegation of N108bn fraud.

The former Minority Leader has, however, described the allegation as a falsehood bandied about by people with no idea about the workings of government.

Shortly after the Senator decamped to the ruling APC, the EFCC in August 2018 said, the case is still ongoing.

However, while nothing has been heard of the N108 billion corruption case against Godswill Obot Akpabio who is now serving as a minister under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on August 4, 2019, asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe Godswill Akpabio and Isa Misau over alleged diversion of constituency projects.

Equipment recovered are dialysis machine, ECG monitor, oxygen regulator, anesthetic machines, generators and other hospital equipment meant for a cottage hospital in Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

The items were recovered during the ICPC’s ongoing tracking of constituency projects around the country.

While the EFCC and ICPC are yet to interrogate the former lawmakers, Oluwadare posited that prosecuting Akpabio and Misau will serve as a proof of consistency to curb corruption by the anti-graft agencies.

He opined that the allegations of diversion of constituency projects by public officers have weakened public confidence in the effectiveness of the system to deliver essential public services to the citizens.

No further update on case yet.

The matter lingers…

Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima – N1 billion fraud

Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima is a three-term Senator and Former Governor of Zamfara State. In January 2016, he was docked on a 19-count charge of corruption by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Zamfara State High Court in Gusau.

He was charged before Justice Bello Shinkafi of High Court 4, in Gusau, the state capital,

The commission accused him of diverting part of the N1billion project funds for the repair of collapsed Gusau Dam and resettlement of the victims of flood to other purposes.

The alleged offences were committed in 2006. The commission accused him of diverting part of N1billion project funds for other purposes.

The fund was meant for the repair of the collapsed Gusau Dam and the resettlement of the victims displaced by flood waters.

However, Justice Bello Muhammad Tukur on December 5, 2017, dismissed the 19-count-charge of corruption levelled against Senator Yerima after the counsel of the 1st defendant (Yerima) Barrister Ifeanyi Augustine Azuamah made a no-case submission to the court. Case concluded.

Mahmud Tukur – N1.8 billion fuel subsidy scam

Mamman Tukur and others were charged before a Lagos High Court in suit No: ID/120C/2012 in July, 2012, over a nine-count charge of fuel subsidy fraud amounting to N1.8 billion.

Mahmud Tukur is the son of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He was arraigned along with Maman Nasir Ali, son of Ahmadu Ali, and a son of the deceased Ibadan-based business man, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola-Alao.

They were all accused of obtaining different sums of money running into over six billion naira under false pretense.

They were also accused of forging several importation and shipping documents to allegedly commit fraud.

The prosecution alleged that the accused had between January and April 2011 in Lagos, fraudulently obtained the sum of N1.8 billion from the Federal Government.

They were accused of obtaining the money from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 80.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The accused persons were also alleged to have forged a Bill of Lading dated April 28, 2011, which they used in facilitating the fraud and therefore contravened Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and then proceeded to argue their application for bail.

However, Mahmud Tukur was re-arraigned alongside Alex Ochonogor, Eternal Oil Plc, Axenergy Limited, and Star Inspection Services Nigeria Limited in May 2017.

The prosecution was stalled after the defendants began negotiations with the anti-graft agency. The talks fell through months later.

In 2013, the EFCC rearraigned the defendants before Justice Lateef Lawal Akapo after the trial judge, Adeniyi Onigbanjo, was transferred to the Commercial Division of the court.

The May 2017 re-arraignment of the defendants before Justice Hakeem Oshodi was the third since the trial began in 2012.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the case is ongoing. No update is available on this case.

Read also:

High profile corruption: Shagari, Adamu in alleged multibillion Naira racketeering

[This Publication includes part of a compendium by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) covering corruption cases as at 22nd of November, 2019.