By Lanre Idris Mustapha
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has granted former Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku, bail in the sum of N150 million in connection with a N27 billion fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Sylvanus Oriji granted Ishaku bail with two sureties in the same amount. One of the sureties must be a federal government employee at the Director level, while both must reside within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Their residential addresses will be verified by the Court Registrar.
Additionally, the court restricted Ishaku and his co-defendant, Bello Yero, from leaving the country without the court’s permission.
After delivering the ruling on the bail application, which the prosecution did not oppose, Justice Oriji scheduled the trial to commence on November 4, 5, and 13, 2024.
The EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), informed the court that the anti-graft agency had previously granted Ishaku administrative bail, which he honored. Therefore, they did not oppose his bail application.
Ishaku, who served as Taraba’s governor for two terms, left office in 2023. Following the expiration of his tenure, the EFCC filed 15 charges against him, to which he pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Monday.
In the case marked CR/792/24, dated September 27, 2024, Ishaku and Bello Yero, former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, are listed as defendants.
EFCC accused the suspects of misappropriating N1.01 billion from contingency funds belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs between August 2015 and March 2016. They are also charged with diverting an additional N1.138 billion between July 2015 and May 2019.
Furthermore, between September 2015 and January 2018, the defendants allegedly diverted N761 million to settle a N1 billion loan granted by Zenith Bank to Worthy Construction Limited, a company associated with them.
Another charge accuses Ishaku and Yero of criminal breach of trust, alleging that they dishonestly diverted N3.348 billion belonging to the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and local government councils in Taraba State between July 2019 and February 2021.
Other sums allegedly diverted by the defendants include N650.6 million, N193 million, and N170.5 million, all part of the contingency funds from the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs between 2019 and 2021.
