The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the former Governor of Taraba State, Darius Dickson Ishaku, alongside Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary at the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, on charges related to a N27 billion fraud.
The duo appeared before Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, September 30, 2024.
Ishaku and Yero face a 15-count charge that includes allegations of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and the conversion of public funds.
The EFCC’s case involves the alleged misappropriation of funds from the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during their tenure, which spanned from July 2015 to May 2019.
One of the charges 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, dishonestly diverted the sum of N1,138,082,097.71 (One Billion, One Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million, Eighty-Two Thousand, Ninety-Seven Naira, Seventy-One Kobo) belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to your own use.”
The EFCC alleged that the fraudulent activities were orchestrated under the guise of a 2.5% contingency fund intended for the Bureau, with further claims of dishonest misappropriation of government property.
According to the EFCC, these actions contravened sections of the Penal Code Act, specifically Section 315, which pertains to criminal breach of trust, and Section 308, relating to the dishonest misappropriation of public property.
Both Ishaku and Yero pled “not guilty” to all charges when they were read in court. The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, called for an accelerated trial, urging the court to set an early date for proceedings.
In response, the defense counsel, Paul Haris Ogbole, SAN, representing Ishaku, and Oluwa Damilola Kayode, representing Yero, submitted oral bail applications. Jacobs, however, opposed the move, insisting on a formal written application.
Following the hearing, Justice Oriji adjourned the case to Thursday, October 3, 2024, for the consideration of the bail applications.
The court also ordered that both defendants be remanded in EFCC custody pending the next hearing. It was reported that Ishaku and Yero were arrested on September 27, 2024, in connection to the case.
