KATSINA State government has withdrawn an N11 billion suit filed against the former Governor of the State, Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema and the former Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba before the State High Court.
The State Director of Public Prosecution, Abdulrahman Umar, while briefing journalists Monday night at the Government House, said the withdrawal of the suit against the two defendants followed a Nolle Prosqui filed by the State government before the court on Monday.
In 2016, Katsina State government arraigned the former Governor Shema before late Justice Ibrahim Maikaita-Bako at the State High Court 3 for alleged offences of criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office and conversion of public funds to the tune of over N11 billion while as Governor.
Shema arraigned at the court alongside his then Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sani Hamisu Makana; former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Lawai Rufai and Dankaba, the former ALGON Chairman.
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against them by the Governor Aminu Bello Masari led government.
Umar during the media chat, said the court during the Monday’s proceedings accepted the Nolle Prosequi and discharged the erstwhile Governor and Dankaba from all corruption charges instituted against them by the state government.
He, however, explained that the decision of the State government does not affect the N5.7 billion embezzlement suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Shema at the Federal High Court sitting in Katsina. “Today being Monday the 13 of February, 2023, we were in High Court number 3 where the trial of the former Governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema is being conducted.
“We went with a Nolle prosequi which is a power of any State Attorney-General to either institute an action or criminal case against any person in Nigeria before any court of law or take over any criminal proceedings against any person and as well as power to discontinue any case at any stage of the proceedings before judgement is entered.
“The Attorney General exercised that power and we went with it and the court gladly accepted that 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 at the moment but the EFCC’s case is still ongoing”.
Though, withdrawing the suit against the former Governor was not clear at this material time that the State is facing strong political rivalry from the main opposition PDP as to whether he, (Shema) agreed to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC considering Shema’s inability to publicly support his party, the PDP’s governorship candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado Danmarke. (Nigerian Pilot)
