{"id":61837,"date":"2018-04-23T06:35:57","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T05:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=61837"},"modified":"2018-04-23T06:35:57","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T05:35:57","slug":"masari-versus-shema-prosecution-or-persecution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/masari-versus-shema-prosecution-or-persecution\/","title":{"rendered":"Masari versus Shema: Prosecution or Persecution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Shuaib Abdullahi
\nRecently, the immediate-past governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema,
\ncalled a press conference whereby for the umpteenth time he alleged being
\npersecuted by his successor Aminu Bello Masari.
\nIn a statement signed by the head of his media team, Oluwabusola Olawale,
\nShema questioned the rationale behind his multiple prosecutions in various
\ncourts and by various anti-graft agencies for the same alleged corrupt
\npractices; a list of which suspiciously keeps growing three years after he
\nhas left office as governor.
\nThe statement also suggested that Governor Masari\u2019s pursuit of hanging
\nShema at all cost has almost taken the form of a personal obsession rather
\nthan the demand for justice. \u201cSince Governor Aminu Bello Masari started
\nhis persecution, intimidation and harassment of former governor Ibrahim
\nShehu Shema by setting up over 30 different committees to probe his
\nadministration, he (Masari) has granted over 200 media interviews, wherein
\nhe called Shema names and continues to sponsor his media trial,\u201d the
\nstatement partly read.
\n\u201cGovernor Masari has also set up commissions of inquiry and sponsored
\npetitions to the EFCC and ICPC, using the Katsina State Attorney-General\u2019s
\nfiat to take Shema before Justice Maikaita Bako of Katsina State High
\nCourt while at the same time obtaining a fiat from the Attorney-General of
\nthe Federation curiously to take over a corruption case from the ICPC
\nbefore the same Justice Maikaita Bako to satisfy his interest,\u201d the
\nstatement further alleged.
\nIt is important to mention that Shema\u2019s allegations are coming on the heel
\nof his impending arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes
\nCommission (EFCC) on April 24 over alleged laundering of N5,776,552,396
\nmeant for the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
\nThe commission said through the media officer of its Kano zonal office,
\nidris Nadabo, that the former governor would be arraigned before Justice
\nBabagana Ashgar of the Federal High Court in Katsina on a 26-count charge
\nof conspiracy and money laundering alongside one Idris Kwado who is said
\nto be currently at large.
\nShema has always maintained his innocence and has on countless occasions
\ndemanded transparent and fair trial in pursuit of justice and the rule of
\nlaw. Does this mean he is being unjustly prosecuted? Masari\u2019s response has
\nbeen that it is uncharitable for the former governor to accuse him of
\ntrying to destroy his reputation when all he (Masari) had done was \u201cto
\nprovide the opportunity for the former governor to defend his reputation.\u201d
\nHe once advised Shema to \u201cbe man enough to bear his cross without casting
\nhimself as an injured party innocent of the offences he committed.\u201d
\nMany have picked a hole in Shema\u2019s prosecution due to the inconsistencies
\nin the figures he is alleged to have mismanaged, as well as why he is
\nbeing tried on multiple prosecutorial platforms. Governor Masari himself
\nhas claimed at different times that the EFCC was investigating a fraud to
\nthe tune of N106 billion. Then we heard N74.6 billion, and then N68
\nbillion. There are also some who questioned why the governor is seemingly
\nobsessed with posting regular media updates on the prosecution which, they
\nclaim, are capable of pre-empting and undermining the investigation
\nprocess.
\nIt is this glamorisation of the prosecution of Shema that raises
\ncuriousness as to the intension of the Katsina State governor. It is the
\nglamorisation of the prosecution that made Shema\u2019s media team say in the
\npress statement earlier quoted: \u201cAnd with the fresh suit before a Federal
\nHigh Court Katsina, we urge Nigerians and the international community to
\nmonitor closely the planned arraignment of Shema on the slated date to
\nunderstand the motive and agenda of the fresh suit.\u201d
\nAs the unending drama continues to unfold, it is obvious that the end has
\nnot been heard of what has been termed \u201cMasari versus Shema\u201d in the
\nstruggle for the political soul of Katsina. This is because there is a
\nconspiracy theory that the recent rally staged by the opposition Peoples
\nDemocratic Party (PDP) in Governor Masari\u2019s backyard has added impetus to
\nhis resolve to bring Shema down by any means. It was roundly reported that
\nShema played a significant role in pulling off the rally, adjudged to be
\nhugely successful to the disbelief of the ruling All Progressives Party
\n(APC). Adherents of this theory believe that Masari did not expect Shema
\nto still wield huge political influence in the state, having clipped his
\nwings with multiple corruption prosecutions.
\nOnlookers have also questioned why only predecessors from opposition
\nparties are subjected to such probes after their terms in office. The
\ngeneral suspicion in Katsina is that the fight against corruption is a
\nmere political dissembling as demonstrated even at the federal level.
\nIf Ibrahim Shema feels that he was already guilty in the court of Masari
\neven before any formal trial, it is left for the governor to allow the law
\nrun its own course and demonstrate neutrality by desisting from being the
\nplaintiff, prosecutor and judge in a case involving a proven political
\nadversary.
\nShuaib writes in from Malumfashi<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shuaib Abdullahi Recently, the immediate-past governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, called a press conference whereby for the umpteenth time he alleged being persecuted by his successor Aminu Bello…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\nMasari versus Shema: Prosecution or Persecution? - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/masari-versus-shema-prosecution-or-persecution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Masari versus Shema: Prosecution or Persecution? 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