The Kano High Court has fixed April 17, 2024, as the date to arraign the immediate past Governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife, and six others.
The accused persons will be arraigned on eight-count charges concerning dollar bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, including alleged $413,000 and N1.38bn bribery, among others.
This online news platform understands that Ganduje, now the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was Kano State governor from 2015 to 2023. In 2018, Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, published a video of Ganduje stashing dollar bundles into his attire.
With smile on his face, he was seen receiving the money in bundles from a man, allegedly a contractor, and meticulously putting it in his pockets.
Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to prosecute the APC chairman before now.
Recall that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano had vowed to probe Ganduje, saying he brought shame to the people of Kano during his tenure.
In the writ of summon, other respondents in the suit are Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd and Lesage General Enterprises.
In the criminal suit filed against the 8 respondents, the Kano State Government said it has assembled 15 witnesses to appear before the Court.
The matter is fixed for 17th April 2024 before Justice Usman Na’aba of the State High Court.
Confirming the development in a chat with Daily Trust, the State Attorney General, Haruna Isah Dederi, said the case has been filed, and all parties involved will be served accordingly.
He said: “It is very true. We have filed the case but what I cannot confirm is whether he is served or not but he will definitely be served. What he (Ganduje) doesn’t understand is that you cannot run away from the evil day, it will definitely come to you and this will even serve as a deterrence to all of us.
“He was saying that we can’t prosecute him forgetting that the offense also falls under the category of the state offenses. It’s not totally a Federal affair.”
