Hearing In Former Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku’s N27 Billion Fraud Case Adjourned To November 11
An Abuja High Court has postponed the hearing of a motion by former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, which challenges the court’s jurisdiction over a N27 billion fraud case. The hearing will now take place on November 11.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 15-count indictment against Ishaku and former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, accusing them of misappropriating public funds.
At Tuesday’s court session, Justice Sylvanus Oriji adjourned the case after the defense presented preliminary objections. He scheduled these objections for hearing on November 13.
During the session, prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, reminded the court that all parties had agreed on the trial date of November 3. Jacobs voiced frustration over the defense’s last-minute filings, which he said disrupted the trial schedule. He suggested either addressing the matter within 30 minutes or proceeding with the adjournment.
Defense counsel P.H. Ogbole explained that new research raised concerns over the court’s jurisdiction, leading to the recent motion filing. He requested time for the prosecution to respond.
Adeola Adedipe, SAN, representing the second defendant, noted that his motion was submitted on November 1. He clarified that the defense had no intention of stalling the case, adding that oral replies from the prosecution would be inappropriate given standard procedures.
The preliminary motion, marked M/14609/24, argues that the court lacks procedural and territorial jurisdiction based on the alleged offenses’ locations and legal standards.
According to the EFCC’s charge sheet dated September 27, Ishaku and Yero are accused of misappropriating N1,010,000,000 from the Bureau’s 2.5% contingency fund between August 2015 and March 2016 for personal use in Abuja, in violation of Section 315 of the Penal Code.
The EFCC also alleges that between July 2015 and May 2019, the defendants diverted an additional N1.1 billion from contingency funds meant for the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Further accusations include diverting N761 million between September 2015 and January 2018 to repay a N1 billion loan for Worthy Construction Limited from Zenith Bank.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail on October 3, each on a N150 million bond with two sureties. One surety must be a federal government employee at the Director level, reside within the Federal Capital Territory, and have their residence verified by the court registrar.
The court has also imposed a travel restriction, requiring the defendants to obtain judicial approval before traveling abroad.
