Ganduje spent N240m state funds on personal lawsuit – Kano

The Kano State government has filed fresh charges against immediate-past governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, accusing him of spending N240m belonging to the state to pursue a personal legal matter.

In the charge, marked K/143c/24, filed before the state high court, Musa Abdullahi, who served as the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under Ganduje, was joined as the second defendant.

The charges border on criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation contrary to and punishable under the provisions of the Penal Code (as amended) CAP 105, Vol. 2, the Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

In the charges, the Governor Abba Yusuf-led state government alleged that Ganduje and the ex-AG “dishonestly, fraudulently and without reasonable justification, in the abuse of your respective officers, conspired between yourselves, misappropriated, diverted and converted the sum of N240m  to finance purely personal and private case for your own personal and private benefit, thereby causing wrongful gain to yourselves and wrongful loss to the government and people of Kano State.”

The state, in the charges, alleged that around November 2022, Ganduje conspired with Abdullahi to, in blatant display of abuse of office, “initiate a memo to the 1st defendant (Ganduje) to approve the release of N240m for the purpose of civil litigation in respect of the staff of Kano State who were being accused by the EFCC, while in reality the funds were converted to secure an order against the EFCC not to investigate the bribery and corruption allegation against the 1st defendant in purely private and personal matter.”

The prosecution said it had assembled four witnesses that will “adduce evidence to show that the 1st defendant, in betrayal of his official trust, took advantage of his privileged position as the Governor and Chief Executive Officer of Kano State.”

No date has been fixed for a hearing by the court.

The fresh charges come days after the state government arraigned Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat, son, Umar, and others for alleged $413,000 and N1.38bn bribery.

The Governor Abba Yusuf-led government had since April filed the charges against Ganduje and others but efforts to serve them the charges had proved abortive.

In the charges before Justice Amina Aliyu of the Kano State High Court, the state government  alleged that “Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometime between the period of January 10, 2016 or thereabouts, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State corruptly asked for and received the sum of $200,000  being benefit for yourself from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on your instruction and approval as part of your function as the Governor of Kano State.”

The state said Ganduje, contrary to Section 22 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No 2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

In another count, the state government said, Ganduje, on February 10, 2017, “dishonestly and/or corruptly to your own advantage collected a kick-back of the sum of $ 213,000  being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contact and or project for the remodelling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).”

In another count, the state alleged that Ganduje, between September 2020 and March 2021, “together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a businessman, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, wholly owned and maintained by the 3rd defendant, agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N1,376,000,000 through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3rd defendant being money earmarked and approved for the purchase and supply of face masks and other hospital equipment for the health sector, thereby causing wrongful loss to the people and the government of Kano State and thereby jointly committed the offence of criminal conspiracy contrary to Section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.”

The Kano State’s Attorney General, Muhuyi  Magaji, said he was empowered by Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 121(1), 126(b) and 377 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2019, “to apply to prefer the charge attached herewith against the defendants.”