By; Sulaiman Ahmed Misau, Katsina.
Justice Ibrahim Bako Mai Kaita of the Katsina High Court III has granted bail to Former Governor of the State Alhaji Shehu Shema and three others to the sum of One Billion Naira (N1B) with One surety.
Justice Ibrahim Mai Kaita gave the bail shortly after his ruling that the Court has jurisdiction to hear the case and has not attached any conditions on the surety.
Justice Mai Kaita who took about 45 minutes to read the ruling adjourned the case to March 28, 2017 for the continuation of substantive hearing.
Earlier, the Counsels to the Plaintiff Mr. Jibrin Samuel Okutepa SAN of the EFCC told the Court the accused Persons are liable to be in Prison for years ranging between 1 to 22 and that administrative or oral bail should not be given in view of the huge amount of money involved.
On his part, the defendant’s Counsel Mr. Joseph Daudu stressed the need for the bail on the ground that the First accused was a one time Governor of the State for two terms in addition to a former Attorney General of the State, hence the need for the oral. He drew the attention of the Court on Late M.K.O Abiola’s and the Federal Government in 1995 on how he was granted bail on similar issue.
Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema and three others are facing trial before the Katsina High Court for allegedly embezzling N11 billion belonging to the 34 local government councils in the state.
The three others joined in the 22 count charge suit are the erstwhile chairman of Kaita Local Government Council and Chairman of the State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba, former Commissioner of the ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Sani Hamisu Makana and the Permanent Secretary of the same ministry, Alhaji Lawal Rufa’i Safana.
In the suit FRN vs Ibrahim Shehu Shema, Sani Hamisu Makana, Lawal Rufa’i and Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba, the Four were arraigned on 22 counts charges.
According to the Charges :- Count 1 conspiracy, counts 2 to 8, breach of trust and conversion of the sum of N11,255,043,920, counts 9 and 10 forgery of minutes of meetings, count 11 abatement of forgery and counts 12 to 22 using forged documents as genuine.
