The former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, along with his wife, son, and five others are facing allegations of bribery, and have been scheduled for arraignment on April 17, 2024, at the Kano State High Court. They are facing eight counts, including bribery allegations of $413,000, as well as misappropriation and diversion of funds totalling N1.38bn.
Previously, the Kano Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission was told by the Federal High Court in Kano that it did not have the power to investigate Ganduje regarding the alleged $5m bribery video. Justice Abdullahi Liman ruled that the offence was a federal one, which could be prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and that the Kano anti-graft agency had limitations in investigating the former governor.
However, the state governor, Abba Yusuf, has urged the EFCC to release the result of its probe into the alleged dollar bribery video involving Ganduje. He said that Ganduje should prepare to face his trial rather than talking about non-existent failures in the current administration.
The Kano State Government has filed a criminal suit, naming Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lesage General Enterprises as respondents, and assembling 15 witnesses to appear before the court. The case will be heard on April 17, 2024, before Justice Usman Na’aba of the state High Court Number Four.
Confirming the development, the state Attorney General, Haruna Dederi, said that the case has been filed, and that all parties involved will be served accordingly. He added that Ganduje cannot run away from the evil day, and that this will serve as a deterrent to all. The offence also falls under the category of state offences, and it’s not solely a federal affair.