Former Taraba State governor Darius Ishaku was granted bail in the amount of N150 million by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The bail, approved by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, requires two sureties in the same amount, with one being a Director-level Federal Government employee. Both sureties must be FCT residents, and their addresses will be verified by the Court's Registrar.
The Court prohibited the former governor and his co-defendant, Bello Hero, from traveling abroad without the Court's permission.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not contest the bail, noting that Ishaku had complied with administrative bail conditions and had not absconded.
The trial for the alleged fraud will commence on November 4, 5, and 13. Ishaku, who served as governor for eight years until 2023, pleaded not guilty to the 15 count charges brought by the EFCC.
The charges, dated September 27, accuse Ishaku and Bello Yero, former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, of diverting funds for personal use between 2015 and 2019.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants diverted funds belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, constituting an offense under Section 315 of the Penal Code A, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigerthe ia 2007.
The charges also include accusations of diverting funds to repay a loan granted by Zenith Bank Plc. to Worthy Construction Limited, a company associated with Ishaku. The defendants were further accused of criminal breach of trust regarding funds belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Local Government Councils in Taraba State.
The diverted amounts include N761,301,000, N650,686,369.99, N193,030,000, and N170,549,842.00, among others, over various periods from 2015 to 2021.