HIGHLIGHT
Ibrahim Shema broke down in tears as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives whisked away with him.
Former governor of Katsina state, Ibrahim Shema
The former governor of Katsina state, Ibrahim Shema broke down in tears after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rearrested him on Tuesday.
Shema initially resisted the attempt to arrest him at a Katsina high court where he was arraigned.
He is standing a 22-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds.
There was a mild drama when he protested being humiliated publicly, but he had no choice than to surrender to the security agency after one hour.
In September, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted for allegedly refusing to honour its invitation.
Shema has denied the allegations of corruption levelled against him, accusing Bello Masari, his successor, of witch-hunting him.
He had been declared wanted over an alleged N76bn fraud by the anti- graft agency in 2015
That same year, the EFCC released a gazette, through their spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwajuren. It reads, “the public is hereby notified that Ibrahim Shema, a former Governor of Kastina State, is wanted by the EFCC in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, inflation of contracts, abuse of office, diversion of funds and embezzlement, running into billions of naira.”
The EFCC also stated that the former governor had been ignoring their invitations since December 2015. In December 2015, Shema was initially invited by the EFCC, but he told them that he was not in the country. Since December, he has been evading their other invitations.
The current Governor, Aminu Masari, had raised the allegations against his predecessor which made the EFCC probe Shema. Governor Aminu Masari had stated his disappointment with his predecessor’s handover note. This led him to create a panel to probe Shema in the state. Masari said, “There are some mistakes that can be forgiven, but N70 billion is a huge amount of money that we cannot overlook.”
