A Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja has granted bail to the tune of N150m to the former Governor of Taraba state, Darius Dickson Ishaku for an N27bn fraud charge brought against him by the Federal Government......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
In a ruling on Friday, Justice Sylvanus Oriji granted him bail, with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Oriji held that the sureties must be resident in Abuja with verified addresses.
The court also held that one of the sureties must be a Federal Government employee of the rank of Director.
Justice Oriji barred the former governor and his co-defendant, Bello Hero, from travelling 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.
Justice Oriji subsequently fixed November 4, 5 and 13 for the commencement of the trial.
Ishaku, who was governor of Taraba state between 2015 and 2023 was arraigned by the EFCC, on a 15-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds to the tune of N27b
The former governor was arraigned alongside the former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero.
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.
One of the counts reads: “That you Darius Dickson 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 2015 and May 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly misappropriated certain property, to wit: an aggregate sum of N1, 138, 082, 097.71 (One Billion, One Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, Eighty-Two Thousand, Ninety-Seven Naira, Seventy-One Kobo, which sum formed part of the 2.5% contingency fund belonging to Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Taraba State and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria 2007 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Act.”
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.
Damilola Kayode, counsel to Ishaku and Yero respectively, made oral bail applications urging the courts to commit them to bail.
EFCC counsel, Jacobs, opposed the oral bail application, arguing that it should have been in a written form.
Justice Oriji after listening to both parties, adjourned the matter till Thursday, October 3, for hearing on bail applications
The judge also ordered that the defendants be remanded in EFCC’s custody.