Shema weeps, re-arrested by EFCC operatives in Katsina

Learning that he was to be re-arrested immediately the Katsina State High Court 3 finished proceedings for the day, former state governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, yesterday burst into tears.

This followed as the court, presided over by Justice Ibrahim Maikaita Bako, adjourned ruling till February 21 on whether it had jurisdiction over a case of alleged financial misappropriation instituted against him and three others.

After hearing the arguments of the counsel to the concerned parties, Justice Bako said he could only entertain a case at a time. Besides the jurisdiction suit, the court is also to do justice to the anti-harassment motion filed by Shema’s lead counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN).

There was a heated debate between the lawyers as to whether if the two applications should be heard and decided together.

The lead prosecution counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), cited several grounds why the court should try the accused, adding that the anti-harassment motion was a ploy by the defence team to unnecessarily delay the entire process.

The accused were arraigned by the state government and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly embezzling N11 billion of local councils and SURE-P funds.

Though it was learnt that Daudu beseeched the judge to shield his client from being re-arrested, which the prosecution supposedly acquiesced to, Shema was later zoomed off in his car with operatives of the anti-graft agency after an hour of intrigues.

A source, however, disclosed that he would be taken to Abuja thereafter.