Former Governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, and the erstwhile chairman of the state chapter of All Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Lawal Dankaba, have been absolved of the alleged misappropriation of N11b by the state government after seven years in court.
Both Shema and Dankaba were discharged and acquitted on Monday by the state high court following a Nolle Prosqui filed by the state Attorney General against the charges of criminal breach of trust, fraud, conspiracy and forgery among others preferred against Shema, Dankaba, alongside two others: Sani Hamisu Makana, then commissioner for local governments in the state and Lawal Safana, then permanent secretary in the ministry, who are still facing trial.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state ministry of justice, Abdulrahman Umar, gave this explanation in an interview with journalists in Katsina.
Recall that the state government in collaboration with Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed a 24 count charge against Shema, Dankaba, alongside Makana and Safana, who were chieftains of the previous government for allegedly diverting the alleged amount from the coffers of the state ALGON between 2011 and 2015.
According to the DPP, the state Attorney General exercised his power under section 211 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to discontinue the case against Shema and Dankaba.
“The Attorney General exercised the power and we went with it and the court gladly accepted the position of the Attorney General to discontinue the case.
“To that effect, the former governor and Lawal Dankaba were discharged from all charges against them. That is the position of the state government as at the moment but the the EFCC’s case is ongoing,” said Umar.
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