N15BN ALLEGED FRAUD: Appeal Court nullifies Tambuwal’s pardon for key suspects

The pardon Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal granted two principal suspects in the state has been voided by a five-man panel of the Court of Appeal.

The two suspects are the former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi and Isa Sadiq Achida.

The Appellate court sitting in Sokoto and presided over by Justice Hannatu Sankey anulled the pardon on the ground that the suspects were still standing trial at the time the amnesty was granted them by the governor.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier arraigned the suspects for allegedly stealing N15 billion belonging to the state government.

While they were yet to take their plea in the case, the governor pardoned them on his prerogative of mercy as a governor.

The EFCC had therefore dragged the matter to the Appeal Court, and delivering judgments in two appeals lodged by the anti graft agency, the court held that it was immature for Tambuwal to grant the amnesty to the suspects when their case was still ongoing and no verdict reached by the court.

The judment read by Justice Sankey and Justice Ndukwe-Anyawu, held that it was premature to grant pardon to persons who had neither been tried nor convicted, as they were still innocent at the time the governor decided to grant them pardon.

According to the judges, the two persons remain innocent until tried and convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The court therefore ordered the suspects to undergo trial and prepare to defend themselves against the charges pressed against them by the prosecution.

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It also ordered that the suspects be tried by another judge of the State High Court other than Justice Bello Abbass who handled the initial trial.

The EFCC had dragged the accused persons to court alongside former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, over a N15 billion alleged fraud.

But a Sokoto State High Court presided over by Justice Bello Abbas had discharged them alongside three others;Alhaji Tukur Alkali, Bello Isah and one Alhaji Halilu Modachi.

The judge discharged them following a motion filed by the accused persons seeking to be discharged from further criminal proceedings based on a pardon granted to them by the Sokoto State governor.

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