EFCC Re-Arraigns Saminu Turaki Over N36 Billion Fraud

Leadership (Abuja)

Muh’d Zangina Kura

1 July 2011

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned former two-term governor of Jigawa State, Senator Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, before a Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud charge levelled against him, amounting to N36 billion.

Some of the charges read to the accused person by the court under Presiding Justice Shehu Yahaya, include N12 billion withdrawn from the state government treasury for financing former president Obasanjo’s third term mission,

Other allegations include the release of the sum of N7 billion for the Water for All project initiated by Turaki’s administration with a view to providing potable drinking water to all people of the state, but which was never implemented, and N5 billion released for the construction of the eastern bye-pass, among others.

After reading the 32-count charge, the accused person, Senator Saminu Turaki, who appeared before the court in person, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Also speaking before the court, lawyer to the accused person, Mr. Mahmud Abubakar Magaji, prayed the court to grant bail to his client.

In his oral application for bail, Magaji said that all evidence and facts were available before the court that Turaki was granted bail by two previous judges who were handling the case before its transfer to Dutse and that his client had never jumped bail or committed any act that could tamper with the court case.

In her arguments, counsel to the plaintiff (EFCC), Barrister Aisha Habib said that going by the nature of the charges, which are criminal, the oral application was not enough for the court to grant bail to the accused person. She urged the court to remand the accused person in prison custody until a written application was submitted.

In his ruling, the presiding judge of the court, Justice Shehu Yahaya, granted the accused bail based on the conditions granted by the previous judges.

Justice Shehu Yahaya also adjourned the case to September 26, 2011 for further hearing.

It would be recalled that this case was initiated in 2008 by the EFCC, under its former chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who had arrested and brought Senator Turaki before a High Court in Abuja, before the case was transferred to a Federal High Court in Dutse.

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