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| Former Governor Shema |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, wanted.
Mr. Shema is accused of gross financial misconduct, officials told this newspaper.
The ex-governor is being sought for allegedly mismanaging about N68
billion of state funds while he was governor between 2007 and 2015.
In 2012 alone, sources said Mr. Shema allegedly diverted about N18
billion from government coffers into his private accounts for
undisclosed reasons.
The officials said Mr. Shema further raided local governments monthly
allocation accounts which were being jointly run with the state
government, leaving little for developmental projects and clearance of
local government employees’ wages and salaries. A sum of N50 billion is
believed to have been mismanaged this way.
The EFCC sources said Mr. Shema had been evading the anti-graft
office for close to a year; and narrowly escaped being arrested on
Wednesday.
When he was invited for a meeting at the agency’s headquarters in
December 2015, Mr. Shema responded that he was not in the country, a
source at the anti-graft agency said.
“He wrote back to us that he would visit as soon as he returned, but
he never did,” an EFCC source said. “Another two subsequent invitations
were sent to him which he failed to honour.”
Against this backdrop, the EFCC has launched a nationwide manhunt for Mr. Shema beginning with his being declared wanted.
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| Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari |
SHEMA RESPONDS, BLAMES MASARI
In his response, Mr. Shema denied the allegations, saying that he acknowledged the EFCC’s letters through his lawyers.
Mr. Shema, who spoke through his spokesperson, Oluwabusola Olawale,
said he couldn’t have ignored the summons of a legally-constituted
authority like the EFCC.
Mr. Olawale said it was true that the EFCC wrote Mr. Shema while he
was away. He added that subsequent correspondences were duly
acknowledged.
“The EFCC sent another invitation and Mr. Shema agreed to honour the
invitation with his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun,” Mr. Olawale said. “But the
meeting with the EFCC could not hold because the officials were engaged
elsewhere.”
The spokesperson said Mr. Shema had requested for an appointment with
the EFCC through his lawyer, but was yet to get confirmation for a
date.
“Subsequently, Mr. Olanipekun wrote EFCC in July this year requesting
for a date to be given and up till date, no date has been fixed by EFCC
for the meeting.”
Mr. Olawale alleged that his principal is being victimised by his successor, Bello Masari.
“From all indications, it appears like the same issue which Governor
Bello Masari had petitioned EFCC about,,” Mr. Olawale said. “He has
equally set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate which is underway
in Katsina and there’s also a pending court case on the matter.
“The allegations made by Mr. Masari are false, malicious and targeted
to tarnish the image of Mr. Shema who served creditably well under the
platform of PDP.”
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