fradDarius Dickson Ishaku, former governor of Taraba State, was on Monday, September 30, arraigned before Justice S.C. Oriji at the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja, over the alleged fraud of N27 billion in state funds.
Ishaku along with Bello Yero who previously served as the Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs is currently facing a serious legal matter involving a total of 15 different charges. These charges include graud, criminal breach of trust conspiracy and the unauthorized use of public funds which is very concerning for both officials and the community.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has made some allegations against Ishaku and Yero. They are accused of fraud and misappropriating a total amount of money totaling N1,138,082,097.71 which is a very large sum. This money was taken from the 2.5% contingency fund that was specifically allocated to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State. It is reported that this diversion of funds occurred over a period of almost four years starting from July 2015 and continuing until May 2019.
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The accusations that have been made against both individuals pertain to the act of dishonestly taking or misusing a specific amount of money that they were not entitled to. This action is said to go against the provisions outlined in Section 308 of the Penal Code Act, which is part of the laws governing the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, as stated in the legal framework established in 2007.
Ishaku and Yero have entered a plea of not guilty regarding all of the fraud charges brought against them. In response to this development, Justice Oriji has decided to postpone the proceedings and has scheduled the next hearing for Thursday, October 3. During this upcoming session, the court will focus on discussing the applications for bail made on behalf of the defendants. Until the matter is resolved, the judge has ordered that both Ishaku and Yero remain in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is responsible for investigating financial crimes in the country.