Ishaku to Face 15 Charges in N27bn Corruption Case Involving Diversion of Public Funds
Former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, who governed the state from 2015 to 2023, is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of a N27 billion fraud.
A senior EFCC source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Ishaku faces 15 charges related to financial misconduct. “Former Governor Darius Ishaku is in our custody and is being investigated for N27bn fraud. He will be arraigned on 15 charges,” the source disclosed.
The EFCC’s investigation also implicates Bello Yero, the former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Both are listed as defendants in a charge sheet dated September 27, 2024. The case, filed as CR/792/24, will be heard before a Federal Capital Territory High Court.
The charge sheet accuses Ishaku and Yero of diverting N1.01 billion to their personal use between August 2015 and March 2016. The sum, the EFCC claims, was part of the 2.5% contingency funds meant for the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Additional charges include the misappropriation of N1.13 billion between 2015 and 2019, and the diversion of N761 million to settle a private loan taken from Zenith Bank by Worthy Construction Limited. The EFCC also alleges that the duo dishonestly diverted N3.3 billion of public funds between 2019 and 2021.
Other amounts involved in the case include N650 million, N193 million, and N170 million, which were also part of contingency funds meant for Taraba State’s Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Both Ishaku and Yero face charges under Section 315 of the Penal Code A, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, 2007, which criminalizes breach of trust and corruption.
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