The Kano State Government has filed fresh charges of fraud against the former governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, along with his Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others. The charges, filed by the Kano State Ministry of Justice, accuse the defendants of conspiring to divert over ₦57.43 billion intended for the 44 local government areas of the state.
This substantial sum, earmarked for developmental projects and public services, was allegedly siphoned into personal accounts and used to acquire luxury properties both within Nigeria and abroad. The charge sheet also names Lamin Sani and Muhammad Takai as co-defendants, accusing them of “criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, making false statements, and criminal misappropriation.”
According to the state, the funds, which were statutory allocations remitted to the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation Account, were misappropriated. The defendants are alleged to have diverted ₦57.4 billion through various personal accounts of local government cashiers and other personal and corporate accounts.
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The prosecution claims that the defendants converted the funds into dollars for their personal benefit. Among the acquisitions cited in the charge sheet are a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial apartment at Akoya Oxygen in Dubai, and a plot at Damac Heights, Marsa Dubai Marina. Other properties include a multi-billion naira hotel in Jabi, Abuja, and filling stations in Kano.
The prosecution alleges that between 2020 and 2023, the defendants orchestrated a scheme to launder the embezzled funds, converting them into cash and foreign currencies through various accounts.
The case, filed under Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution and various sections of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2019), involves multiple counts of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and misappropriation. The legal team, led by Ya’u A. Adamu Esq., is supported by a detailed list of 143 witnesses, including local government cashiers, foreign currency exchange operators, and former bank employees.
Key witnesses include Inspector Muhammad Nuhu, who will testify about properties linked to Murtala Sule Garo in Dubai, and Labaran Kura, who will provide details of financial transactions with the defendants.
The charges, filed under the authority of the Attorney General of Kano State, are seen as a significant move in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against corruption. This case has the potential to set a precedent for the prosecution of high-ranking officials involved in financial crimes.
No date has been set for the trial, but the case is highly anticipated, with the people of Kano State and Nigeria at large eagerly awaiting justice in what could be one of the country’s most significant corruption scandals.
