The Kano State Government has filed new fraud charges against the former governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and three others, including his former Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo.
The charges, which also target Lamin Sani and Muhammad Takai, allege a range of financial crimes, including criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, making false statements, and criminal misappropriation.
According to the charge sheet, the four men are accused of mismanaging the statutory allocations of all 44 local governments in Kano State. These allocations, which were remitted to the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation account, were allegedly criminally diverted. The state claims that N57.4 billion was funneled through various personal and corporate accounts, including those of local government cashiers, for the personal gain of the accused.
The state further alleges that the funds were converted into dollars and used to acquire high-value properties both in Nigeria and abroad. Among the properties listed in the charges are a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way in Kano, a commercial apartment at Akoya Oxygen in Dubai, a plot at Damac Heights, Marsa Dubai Marina, a luxury hotel in Jabi, Abuja, and several filling stations in Kano.
The Kano State Government has indicated that it will call 143 witnesses to support its case against Ganduje and his co-accused. However, no date has been set for the trial to begin.
This new set of charges adds to the legal troubles facing Ganduje. In April, the Kano government filed a separate lawsuit against him, his wife Hafsat Umar, and six others, including his son Umar Abdullahi Umar. In that case, the charges also include criminal conspiracy and misappropriation of funds. Furthermore, in July, another charge was filed against Ganduje and the former Commissioner for Justice, Musa Lawan, accusing them of abuse of office.
The allegations against Ganduje and his associates have drawn significant public attention, given the high-profile nature of the accused and the substantial amounts of money involved. The Kano State Government’s decision to pursue these cases indicates a strong commitment to addressing corruption and holding public officials accountable for their actions.