A Federal High Court sitting in Dutse, the Jigawa capital, has acquitted Saminu Turaki, former governor of the state, of N8.3 billion fraud.
The corruption charge was preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Turaki and three other companies have been on trial since May 4, 2007, on a 33-count charge.
The defendants were first arraigned before Binta Nyako, judge of the federal high court, on July 13, 2007.
In 2011, the case was transferred to the federal high court in Dutse, after the former governor challenged the jurisdiction of the Abuja court to hear the matter.
The case was then assigned to Sabiu Yahuza, who later retired, and which caused the case to be reassigned to Hassan Dikko, another judge.
Giving the ruling on Thursday, Dikko struck out all charges and discharged all the accused persons for want of diligent prosecution.
The court further ordered that Turaki’s travel document be released to him with immediate effect.
