Former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat, and six other defendants will on Thursday appear before a Kano State High Court over alleged bribe.
Ganduje, who is the current national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and others are facing charges bordering alleged bribery, diversion and misappropriation of funds amounting to billions of naira.
The court presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu had earlier granted permission on June 5 to serve the respondents through substituted means.
Aside Ganduje, who is the first defendant, other respondents in the case are his wife, Hafsat, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lesage General Enterprises.
The Kano State government had in April this year dragged the former governor, his wife and five others to court over alleged corruption, which include misappropriation and diversion of funds during his eight years tenure in office.Part of the charges read: “That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometimes between the period of January 10th, 2016, or thereabouts at Kano, in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the governor of Kano State aned being a public servant in the government of Kano State, corruptly asked for and received the sum of $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), 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 functions as the governor of Kano State, thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law N02 of 2009, Lawa of Kano State of Nigeria.
“That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometimes between the period of February 2017 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, agreed to do or caused to be done an illegal act, to wit, dishonesty and/or corruptly to your advantage collected a kickback of the sum of $213,000 (Two Hundred And Thirteen Thousand United States Dollars), being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State government contract and or project for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as bribe through one of the contractors (agent), thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law N02 of 2009, Law of Kano State of Nigeria.”
At the previous court session, the sixth respondent (Lamash Properties Limited) was represented by Nuraini Jimoh (SAN) while others, including Ganduje, were not represented.
Justice Aliyu had adjourned the hearing until July 11.
