Witness tells Court how ex-Katsina Governor Shema spent N11b LG funds

*As Ibrahim Sakarau refused travel  over alleged N950m fraud

The witness in the ongoing trial of a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema today revealed how the ex-governor between 2013 and 2015 approved the expenditure of local government funds without following due process.

The witness, Ibrahim Dabo Bujawa, made the disclosure through his statement to the EFCC which was admitted in evidence and marked as exhibit 2.

The witness in the statement revealed that his committee on investigation of local government finances at the conclusion of its assignment uncovered series of malpractice.

“The committee I chaired for the investigation of the finances of local governments and Sate Universal Basic Education, SUBEB observed series of malpractice bordering on non submission of payment vouchers by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, irregular payment of money on sheets of paper, improper and suspected fraudulent payments on the State Joint Local Government Account maintained under the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and non-documentation of financial transactions by local governments; all involving the loss of funds to the tune of over Thirty Four Billion Naira,” the witness said.

The witness added that the procedure in which the local governments’ funds should be disbursed was not followed and that the way the money was expended was irregular and unlawful. According to him, contrary to the requirement that all members of the Joint Local Government Allocation Committee must meet before local governments funds are disbursed, the committee never met throughout the period under investigation. “Throughout the period under investigation, my committee observed that the Joint Local Government Allocation Committee never held a single meeting nor was any minutes delivered to the committee.

“In defiance of the norms as stated above, the committee observed that all payments to local government councils were processed through Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and channeled through ALGON, a Non-governmental association which the committee considered unofficial, irregular and unconstitutional,” he added.

Earlier during the trial, prosecution counsel Sam Ologunorisa SAN asked the witness if he was given any letter appointing him to chair the committee on investigation of local government expenses, to which the witness replied, ‘yes’. The witness subsequently identified the letter and the prosecution applied to tender same in evidence.

The team of counsel representing the accused persons, J.B. Daudu ,SAN, A.T. Kehinde, SAN, B.Y. Kura SAN and Uyi Igunma objected to the admissibility of the said letter but were all overruled by the court and the letter was admitted as exhibit 1.

Ologunorisa further asked the witness, if he could identify the investigation report he conducted during the period and Bujawa identified it. The document was then requested to be admitted into evidence.

Counsel representing the accused persons again objected to the admissibility of the said document.

Justice Bako subsequently adjourned the matter to July 9 and 10 for ruling on the admissibility of the investigation report and continuation of trial.

Shema is charged alongside three others, Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba, Sani Hamisu Makana and Ahmed Rufai Safana for allegedly embezzling over Eleven Billion Naira from the coffers of Katsina State local governments joint account.

…Alleged N950m Fraud: Court stops Shekarau from traveling abroad

Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano today refused an application by a former governor of Kano State Malam Ibrahim Shekarau for the release of his international passport to enable him travel to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj.

Shekarau approached the court with a motion on notice dated 28 May, 2018 praying the court to direct its Deputy Chief Registrar to release his International Passport to enable him travel to Saudi Arabia from May 30 to June 23, 2018 for lesser hajj.

In response to the motion, counsel for the respondent, Johnson Ojogbane filed a 9 paragraph counter affidavit opposing the motion.

When the case came up today for hearing, counsel to Shekarau, Abdul Adamu moved his application and adopted the written address attached to the application in his argument.

Ojogbane on the other hand moved his 9 paragraph counter affidavit urging the court to refuse the application.

Justice Abubakar in her ruling held that “after due consideration of the motion of the defendant applicant and the counter affidavit of the respondent I deem it unnecessary to release the passport of the defendant applicant as it is one of the conditions in the grant of his bail”. She subsequently refused and dismissed the application for lack of merit.

Shekarau was arraigned by the EFCC alongside two others, Aminu Bashir Wali and one Mansur Ahmed for allegedly conniving to collect the sum of N950,000,000 part of the $115,000,000 allegedly distributed by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke for the purpose of compromising the 2015 general election.