$413,000 bribery: April 17 is set aside by the Kano court for Ganduje's arraignment

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress and the recently retired governor of Kano State, is scheduled to be arraigned on bribery charges on April 17 by the Kano State High Court.

As per the Judicial (N.N) Form 2, also known as the “Summons to an Accused Person,” which The PUNCH managed to obtain on Tuesday, Ganduje is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 am in front of Justice Usman Na’aba, who is seated in Courtroom 4.

Along with his son Umar, wife Hafsat, and five other people, he will be charged with eight counts of bribery totaling N1.38 billion and over $413,000 each.

15 witnesses had been gathered, according to the Kano State Government, to testify against them.

Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd., Safari Textiles Ltd., and Lesage General Enterprises were also named as defendants.

Upon taking office, Governor Abba Yusuf charged Ganduje with embezzling public monies and granting land parcels to certain members of his close relatives.

Abba Yusuf, the state governor, urged the EFCC to make public the findings of its investigation into the purported $1 bribery video featuring Ganduje on Monday.

In a statement sent by his spokesperson, Sanusi Tofa, Yusuf requested that Ganduje be ready for his trial rather than speculating about alleged shortcomings in the current government.

There was no luck in getting in touch with Ganduje to get his response. According to reports, the National Chairman of the APC left for Saudi Arabia.

Chief Oliver Okpala, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, in an interview with The PUNCH, however, called the Kano government’s action “an afterthought” and insisted that the Federal Government had jurisdiction over the issue.

He said, “I am surprised at the said charge, which is coming like an afterthought. However, I am aware that the Federal High Court sitting in Kano recently gave judgment on the same issue, where it gave exclusive reserve to federal agencies to prosecute such matters after investigation, if there is prima facie evidence of committing the offences alleged.

“I will simply urge those concerned to refer to the said judgment of the Federal High Court and take a cue from it so as to be well guided, in their attempt to prosecute, so that public funds will not be dissipated without achieving any success; more so to avoid what will be termed an abuse of court process.”

In the charges, the state government alleged that “Yyou, 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, 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 No 2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.”

In the second 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 remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).”

In another count, 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.”

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