The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 arraigned a former Governor of
Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema before Justice Maikaita Bako of the State
High Court, Katsina on a 22-count charge of criminal breach of trust, forgery
and abuse of office.
Shema was charged alongside Sani
Hamisu Makana, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Lawal
Ahmad Safana Permanent Secretary for Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs
and Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba, Chairman, Association of Local Government of
Nigeria, ALGON, Katsina State Chapter, for allegedly diverting public funds to
the tune of N11billion during his tenure as governor between 2012 and May 2015.
One of the counts reads:
“That you, Ibrahim Shehu Shema whilst being
the Governor of Katsina, Sani Hamisu Makana whilst being Commissioner for
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Katsina State, Lawal
Ahmad Safana whilst being the Permanent Secretary for Local government and
Chieftaincy Affairs of Katsina State and Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba whilst being the
Chairman Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Katsina State Chapter,
between September, 2012 and May 2015 at Katsina, within the jurisdiction of
this Honourable Court were entrusted with certain property to wit; an aggregate
sum of N4,463,600,000 (Four Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Three Million, Six
Hundred Thousand Naira Only) committed a criminal breach of trust in respect of
the said sum by transferring it from Katsina State Joint Local Government Account
domiciled at Access Bank, Katsina Branch, to the account of ALGON domiciled at
Union Bank, Katsina Branch and subsequently withdrew same and dishonesty
convert it to your personal use (under various guises including funding
security intervention fund to all the 34 local governments in Katsina State and
falsely described in several payment vouchers and memos) and thereby committed
and offence contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of Penal
Code Cape 96 Laws of Katsina State, 1991”.
The accused persons pleaded not
guilty to the charge.
Following their plea, counsel to
EFCC, Jibrin S. Okutepa, SAN urged the court to fix a date for trial and asked
that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody since there was no
motion for their bail before the court.
But, J. B, Daudu SAN, representing
the accused persons applied orally that his clients be admitted to bail.
Okutepa countered the application
arguing that, “now that the court has assumed jurisdiction and the charge has
been read, there is a possibility of the accused persons escaping if granted
bail.”
He urged the court to consider the
gravity of the offence and refuse the oral bail application and order the
defence counsel to apply formally.
Justice Bako granted the accused
persons bail in the sum of N1billion and a surety each in like sum.
The case has been adjourned to March
28 - 29, 2017 for the commencement of trial.
Earlier before the charge was read, Justice
Bako had dismissed two applications filed by the accused persons through their
counsel, Daudu, challenging the jurisdiction of the court as well as the
competency of the charge. Both applications were resolved in favour of the
respondents.
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