By Ken Chiwendu
The Kano State Government has filed a fresh fraud charge against Dr Abdullahi Ganduje,National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC and immediate past governor of the state
Also affected by the suit are a former Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others.
In a four – count charge sheet , the government accused the defendants of conspiring to divert over ₦57.43 billion meant for the development of the 44 local government areas of the State and public services
It alleged that the sum was diverted into personal accounts and used to acquire luxurious properties both locally and internationally.
, The Kano government accused Garo, Lamin Sani, and Muhammad Takai, of “criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, making false statements or return, and criminal misappropriation.”
It alleged that they mismanaged the statutory allocations remitted to the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation account. Further allegations state that they criminally diverted ₦57.4 billion through several personal accounts of Local Government cashiers and other personal and corporate accounts.
“The state government also accused them of transferring the funds into dollars for their personal benefits,” “They acquired a service apartment on the Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial apartment at Akoya Oxygen – x20868 Dubai in Tigerwood, and plot 2201 Floor 22 Damac Height, Marsa Dubai Marina, a multi-billion naira hotel in Jabi, Abuja.”
Other acquisitions mentioned include filling stations on Gwarzo Road Kano and Eastern Bypass Kano.
The government also alleged that between 2020 and 2023, the defendants orchestrated a scheme to syphon funds through various accounts, subsequently converting them into cash and foreign currencies.
Additionally,the case, filed under the purview of Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution and various sections of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2019), includes multiple counts of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and misappropriation. The prosecution’s case is bolstered by a detailed list of 143 witnesses, including local government cashiers, foreign currency exchange operators, and former bank employees. These witnesses are expected to provide crucial testimony about the defendants’ illegal activities and the intricate methods used to launder the embezzled funds, current matters learnt.
It was further learnt that a key witness, Inspector Muhammad Nuhu, is set to testify about the discovery of properties linked to the second defendant, Murtala Sule Garo, in Dubai. Another witness, Labaran Kura, will discuss his business dealings with the defendants, highlighting how they converted large sums of money into U.S. dollars.
The legal team of the government comprises Ya’u A. Adamu Esq, Usman Fari Esq, Auwal Abdulqadir Sani Esq, and Hope Chukwunyere C. Esq.
In April, Governor Abba Yusuf’s government dragged Ganduje , his wife,Hafsat and 5 others to court over alleged eight corruption charges running into billions. of naira .
