The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the former governor of Taraba State, Nigeria, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, for allegedly diverting more than N27 billion belonging to the state’s local governments.
The ex-governor is set to stand trial alongside Bello Yero, the former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State.
Both men face a total of 15 charges, which have been filed in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. According to EFCC sources, the charges revolve around the misappropriation of local government contingency funds between 2015 and 2021. Specific local governments affected include Donga, Gassol, and Gashaka Councils, with allegations of fraudulent handling of sums as high as N3.3 billion.
According to the EFCC, one of the charges states: “That you, Darius Dickson Ishaku, while being the Governor of Taraba State, and Bello Yero, while being the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Taraba State, between July 2015 and May 2019 in Abuja, dishonestly diverted an aggregate sum of N1,138,082,097.71 meant for the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Taraba State.”
Ishaku has already been in EFCC custody for over 72 hours, while the agency awaits a court date for his arraignment.
The case has garnered significant attention due to the magnitude of the alleged diversion and its implications for the local government funds. A top EFCC source noted, “The anti-graft agency is awaiting the court’s direction for the arraignment of the suspects.” The EFCC also emphasized that the investigation uncovered large sums meant for local councils unaccounted for, including N993.1 million.
This arrest follows increasing concerns from local government stakeholders about the misuse of funds by state governors. In response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration sought and won a landmark Supreme Court judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local governments, ensuring direct allocation of funds to the 774 councils across Nigeria.
The Supreme Court ruling, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, stated, “Local government allocations from the federation account should henceforth be paid directly to the local governments.”
Ishaku is the second former governor of Taraba State to face corruption charges, following the conviction of Rev. Jolly Nyame in 2018.
