Former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has alleged that the recent withdrawal of charges against six persons facing trial with him for corruption was politically motivated. Bafarawa and 15 others, including the six whose charges were dropped, were arraigned before the Sokoto State High Court in December 2009. He claimed the six were removed from the charge sheet after joining “the political camp of the incumbent governor.”
Accusations Against EFCC and State Government
Bafarawa accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the state government of playing politics with the case. In a petition through his lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, Bafarawa protested the handling of the case and called for a proper investigation. He spoke of “other political factors at play, using the instrumentality of the EFCC and manipulating same to achieve a specific political agenda.”
Bafarawa argued that the evidence of the former co-accused can no longer be relied upon as truthful, and therefore “the charge can no longer be viably sustained in the absence of these key co-accused persons.” He urged the AGF to “use your good office to investigate the above and order that the charges be dropped if the facts are as we have stated, so that the impression be not given to the general public that the machinery of the commission is in this instance being used to further certain political interests instead of to fight corruption.”
Background of the Case
Bafarawa’s legal troubles began when Governor Aliyu Wamako of Sokoto State, in his inaugural speech, alleged that the N13 billion or N11 billion “purported to be bequeathed by the outgoing administration could not be traced, instead, almost all the major government accounts were found to have been overdrawn to the tune of over N2 billion.”
Reacting to the allegation, Bafarawa wrote a letter to the chairman of EFCC on May 30, 2007, detailing how Wamako allegedly refused to honour invitations he extended to him before the hand-over to enable them discuss details of the handing over account and the actual amount his administration would be handing over to the incoming government.
Arraignment and Charges
Bafarawa was invited by the commission a year later, through a letter dated 6th May, 2008, for an interview on the issues he raised in his letter. Upon honouring the invitation, he was arrested and detained for about seven days, and his international passport was seized before he was taken to Sokoto State, where he was arraigned on 16th December, 2009, alongside 15 others. They were arraigned on a 47-count charge of conspiracy, criminal misappropriation, and criminal breach of trust.
The withdrawal of charges against the six co-defendants has raised questions about the integrity of the prosecution, with Bafarawa insisting that the case against him is being used to further political interests rather than to fight corruption. He has called on the Attorney General of the Federation to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure that justice is served.
