Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken former Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, into custody over allegations of involvement in a N9.3 billion fraud.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ishaku is currently being held in Abuja, according to sources who spoke to TheCable.
Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, confirmed Ishaku’s detention but did not provide further details.
The EFCC has filed a 15-count charge against Ishaku and Bello Yero, former Permanent Secretary of Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ishaku is accused of criminal breach of trust and misappropriating state funds to the tune of N9.3 billion, contrary to Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria 2007.
In counts one and two, Ishaku and Yero are alleged to have misappropriated an aggregate of N1.10 billion “which formed part of the 2.5% contingency funds belonging to bureau of local government and chieftaincy affairs, Taraba state between August 25, 2015 and March 21, 2016”. In counts three and four, the defendants were alleged to have “dishonestly diverted” state funds worth N1.1 billion for their personal use.
Count five involves N193 million allegedly diverted by the defendants between January 2019 and April 2021. In count six, N650 million was allegedly diverted between January 6, 2019 and April 29, 2021. In count seven, the defendants were said to have between January 6, 2019 and April 29, 2021, diverted N170 million for their personal use.
The defendants were also alleged to have diverted N201.9 million between January 2019 and April 2021. Another N132.1 million was said to have been diverted by the defendants during the same time frame. In counts 10 and 11, the accused persons allegedly diverted N3.3 billion and another N639.4 million between July 19, 2019 and February 5, 2021.
Between September 30, 2016 and February 23, 2021, the former governor and Yero allegedly diverted N993 million in count 12. Between May and December 2015, count 13 alleged that the defendants allegedly diverted N90 million.
Ishaku is the only defendant answering counts 14 and 15 in which he is alleged to have diverted N23 million and N761.3 million between October 2016 and January 2018.
Ishaku governed Taraba State from 2015 to 2023. The EFCC had previously invited him for questioning regarding financial issues related to his eight-year administration in July 2023. He was later released on bail.
