The Kano State Government has filed a new fraud charge against the immediate past governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, his Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others.
The charge sheet includes accusations of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, making false statements, and criminal misappropriation.
The state alleges that they mismanaged the 44 Local Governments’ statutory allocations from the Federation account and criminally diverted N57.4 billion through personal and corporate accounts.
The state government also accused them of converting the funds into dollars for personal gain.
Additionally, they are alleged to have acquired a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial apartment at Akoya Oxygen – x20868 Dubai in Tigerwood, a plot at 2201 Floor 22 Damac Height, Marsa Dubai Marina, and a multi-billion Naira hotel in Jabi, Abuja.
Others include filling stations on Gwarzo Road, Kano, and Eastern Bypass, Kano.
The state has stated it will call 143 witnesses, but no date has been set for the matter.
On April 4, the Kano government filed a suit against Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and six others before the Kano High Court. The six others include Ganduje’s son Umar Abdullahi Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd., Safari Textiles Ltd., and Lesage General Enterprises.
On July 16, in case No. K/143c/24, the state government charged Ganduje and former Commissioner for Justice Musa Lawan with criminal conspiracy and misappropriation, accusing them of abuse of office.