From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned two persons, Esther Ashivelli Dawaki and Shehu Aliyu Fatange, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged money laundering and vote buying involving N26 million.
Esther is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election held on August 16, 2025.
Her arrest has been widely suspected to be political as other political parties including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) African Democratic Congress (ADC) among others, were also alleged to have moved about with cash on the said day.
The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Commission brought the duo before Justice Emeka Nwite on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, accepting and making cash payments above the threshold permitted by law, and money laundering.
According to the charges, Dawaki allegedly procured Fatange to accept N26 million in cash without passing it through a financial institution, while Fatange was accused of receiving the money from Dawaki in contravention of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecution counsel, M.O. Arumemi, thereafter requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendants in a correctional centre.
Counsel to the defendants, E.N. Ogbu and A.A. Ashat, made oral bail applications and urged the court to remand their clients in EFCC custody pending the determination of the applications.
Justice Nwite ordered Dawaki’s remand at the Suleja Correctional Centre, while Fatange was ordered to be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The case was adjourned to Monday, September 15, 2025, for hearing on the bail applications.
The EFCC said the defendants were arrested on August 16, 2025, after intelligence revealed that they were in possession of N26,463,000, found inside a Toyota Corolla belonging to Fatange and parked at a hotel in Kaduna.
During interrogation, Fatange identified himself as the Director-General of the campaign office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election held on the same day.
The money was suspected to have been earmarked for vote buying in the election.