N27b Fraud: Court remands former Taraba gov Ishaku, perm sec
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A former Governor of Taraba State, architect Darius Ishaku and Bello Yero, former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, have been remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
This is coming after their arrest on September 27, 2024, for allegedly diverting N27 billion from the Bureau.
The EFCC, in the suit marked CR/792/24, accused the two men of misappropriating N1.01 billion between August 25, 2015, and March 21, 2016, in Abuja.
The funds were allegedly part of a 2.5% contingency fund allocated to the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The charges against them fall under Section 315 of the Penal Code, which deals with offenses related to public funds.
In addition to the N1.01 billion, other amounts, including N650 million, N193 million, and N170 million, were allegedly diverted by the defendants between January 2019 and April 2021.
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Both Ishaku and Yero pleaded not guilty to the charges. EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed that the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, requested an expedited trial, while defense counsel Paul Haris Ogbole and Oluwa Damilola Kayode submitted oral bail applications, which were opposed by the prosecution.
The court adjourned the case until Thursday, October 3, 2024, for a hearing on the bail applications and ordered the defendants to remain in EFCC custody until then.
