BREAKING: Court Okay Former Taraba Governor Ishaku’s Request To Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment

A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, sitting in Maitama, on Wednesday allowed Darius Ishaku, the former Governor of Taraba State, to travel abroad for medical treatment....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤

He’s currently facing trial over alleged money laundering.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, approved the defendant’s application to visit Arjam, located in the United Arab Emirates, for a routine medical checkup.

Ishaku, facing a total of 15 charges, relied on his lawyer, Mr. Paul Ogbole, SAN, who based the application on Sections 6 (6) and 41 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Ogbole informed the court that his client’s health has significantly worsened.

In contrast, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, contested the request, pointing out that the defendant failed to specify how long he would stay in the UAE.

PAY ATTENTION:-  BREAKING: CBN policies prevented 42.81% inflation in 2024 – CBN Governor, Cardoso

In his ruling, Justice Oriji emphasized that one of the bail conditions imposed on the defendant was that he cannot travel outside Nigeria without prior court approval.

He concluded that the defendant’s application satisfied the court’s requirements. As a result, the court granted the request and set the next hearing for March 17.

The former governor currently faces serious charges, including money laundering, conspiracy, and misappropriation of N27 billion in public funds.

During the proceedings, the EFCC presented crucial evidence through its fifth witness, Ismail Lawal, revealing significant information.

Lawal, a former personal assistant to Ishaku, testified that he frequently received cash under the defendant’s instructions from various individuals.

He specifically mentioned several names, including Permanent Secretary Mr. Chindo Audu and Taraba State Liaison Officer Mr. Dauda.

He also mentioned his brother, Mr. Victor Comlavi, clarifying that he is not involved in state transactions.

PAY ATTENTION:-  BREAKING: Senate Appoints New Chairmen for Committees, List Emerges

Furthermore, this distinction emphasizes that Mr. Comlavi had no role in the mentioned transactions related to state activities.

“I got money from others, depending on who his Excellency asked me to meet,” he noted.

While reading from one of the notebooks, marked as Exhibit 3, Lawal reported that he distributed various amounts of money approved by the former governor to different recipients, either in cash or through bank transfers.

“No one complained that I didn’t pay them. After I made payments, they would call his Excellency to confirm,” Lawal explained.

He revealed that, on December 5, 2020, he paid personal staff salaries under the former governor’s direction. He also covered the electricity bill for the residence of Ishaku in Takum.

For Bigman Wukari, he paid N100,000, while Musa Siman also received N100,000 for his work at the residence.

PAY ATTENTION:-  Land Revocation: Wike gives Buhari Foundation, Abbas, Akume, others fresh ultimatum to settle bills

Moreover, Mr. Lar received N75,000, while Obadiah Danjuma earned N150,000 for his services.

Additionally, Balat Bunkaya received N50,000, and Adams Ibrahim earned N75,000 for their contributions.

Finally, he stated that he, Lawal Ismail, received N100,000 for his efforts during that period.

These seven were personal staff.”

He additionally provided details on the salaries for the Takum gatemen, stating that each earned N25,000 per month.

Moreover, he mentioned that the electricity bill for the Takum residence also amounted to N25,000 for the month.

“There’s another payment for the Takum campaign office staff, which was N15,000,” he pointed out. Earlier, the court had granted bail to the defendant, setting it at N150 million. ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*