Alleged N36b fraud: EFCC search Abuja home of ex Jigawa state governor Turaki

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, last night stormed the Abuja home of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki to effect his arrest and also search for documents that will help in their investigations into an alleged N36 billion fraud carried out while he was in office. Saminu Turaki was in office from 1999 to 2007.

According to The Nation, the anti-graft agency operatives had earlier obtained a warrant of arrest before storming his 16 Dennis Osadebe Street, Aso Villa home. They however were not able to arrest him because he wasn't in his house when they arrived.

The former governor is alleged to have used N12billion from the state coffers on the botched third term bid of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“The operatives went to the house in a bid to execute a warrant for the arrest of the former governor who had neglected to present himself for trial since 2011 when he was rearrainged on a 36-count charge at the Federal High Court Dutse, Jigawa State. The Commission has long been on the trail of the former senator and even had him watch-listed, but he has continued to evade arrest”.

Turaki, whose trial started in 2011, had repeatedly failed to honor court invitations, a situation that forced Justice S. Yahuza of a Federal High Court in Dutse, the Jigawa capital to issu a warrant of arrest directing the Inspector-General of Police or his officers and the EFCC to arrest Saminu Turaki and bring him before the court.