EFCC Arraigns former Kebbi State Governor, Dakingari, two others over alleged $115m Diezani Loot

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, December 6th 2018, arraigned the former governor of Kebbi State, Usman Saidu Dakingari alongside two others before Honourable Justice Basse Onu of the Federal High Court sitting in Kebbi. They were arraigned on a 13 count charge of Conspiracy and Money Laundering to the tune N450,000,000 (Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) only.

Dakingari was arraigned along with Sunday Dogonyaro and Garba Rabiu Kamba for allegedly conniving to collect the sum of N450m being part of the $115m warehoused in Fidelity Bank and shared by the a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Alison-Madueke for the purpose of influencing the 2015 general election.

One of the charges reads that: "Usman Saidu Dakingari on or about the 27th March 2015 at Kebbi within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court made a cash payment of the sum of N49,640,000 (Forty Nine Million, Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) only to Alhaji Haruna Haruna without transacting through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act”.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and Counsel for the prosecution Jonson Ojogbane requested a date for trial in view of the plea of the defendants.

Both counsels representing the defendants moved applications for bail on behalf of their clients and respectively urge the court to admits their client to bail.

Ojogbane opposed the bail applications with counter affidavits urging the court to refuse the application of the 1st and 2nd defendants. Ojogbane, however, did not oppose the bail application of the 3rd defendant who has been constantly reporting to court since the first time the case came up of arraignment.

After listening to the arguments exchanged between the parties, Justice Onu adjourned the matter to December 10th , 2018 for ruling on bail application.

The defendants were ordered to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the outcome of the ruling on bail application.