The Kano State Chief Judge, Justice Dije Abdu-Aboki, has reassigned the corruption case against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and seven others to a new judge.
The case, which was earlier being heard by Justice Usman Na’abba of the Kano High Court 4, has now been transferred to Kano High Court 7, presided over by Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu.
NewsNGR reported that Ganduje, along with his wife, Hafsat Umar, their son Umar Abdullahi Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited, are facing eight charges related to alleged misappropriation and diversion of public funds amounting to billions of naira.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman served as governor of the state from 2015 to 2023.
The Kano State Judiciary Public Relations Officer, Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, confirmed the latest development on Thursday, stating that the Chief Judge’s office has the authority to direct and transfer a case at any stage before a judgment is rendered.
The Kano State Government, in its eight-count charge, accused the defendants of bribery allegations, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds.
Previously, Justice Na’abba had scheduled a ruling on May 16 regarding the State Government’s application for substituted service on the respondents.
Exclusive court documents earlier obtained by NewsNGR revealed that the Kano State Government intends to rely on 15 witnesses to substantiate the corruption charges against Ganduje and the other defendants.
The first charge accused Ganduje of corruptly asking for and receiving $200,000 from a beneficiary of a state government contract while serving as governor. The second charge alleged that the APC chairman received a $213,000 kickback from a contractor handling the remodelling of the Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano.
The third and fourth charges accused Ganduje and others of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust involving N1.376 billion earmarked for purchasing face masks and other medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is alleged that Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and businessman Abubakar Bawuro diverted these funds for personal use.
Ganduje, alongside his son Abdullahi Umar, was further accused in the fifth and sixth charges of conspiring to illegally allocate 501 plots of land belonging to the state government to a company owned by their family. The proceeds from the sale of these lands, amounting to 700 million Naira, were allegedly diverted for their benefit.
Among the witnesses the Kano State Government plans to call is a forensic expert who will authenticate a viral video allegedly showing Ganduje collecting bribes from a contractor while he was governor of the state.
Additionally, multiple contractors will testify about allegedly being forced to give Ganduje a percentage of contract funds awarded to them by the former governor’s administration.
A Department of State Services (DSS) officer, Hussain Muhammad Dan Borno, will explain his presence in the alleged bribery video showing Ganduje collecting stacks of dollars from a supposed contractor.