On Thursday, the Kano State Government arraigned former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, his son Umar, and six others for allegedly accepting bribes totaling $413,000 and N1.38 billion.
The defendants, who were not present in court, were arraigned in absentia.
Since April, the government led by Governor Abba Yusuf has attempted to serve charges against Ganduje and the others, but these efforts had been unsuccessful.
At a previous hearing on June 5, the prosecution secured an order to serve the charges through newspaper publication. Justice Amina Aliyu adjourned the case to Thursday, July 11, for arraignment.
During the proceedings on Thursday, Ganduje, now the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, and his co-defendants were again absent.
Prosecuting counsel Adeola Adedayo (SAN) requested a bench warrant for their arrest, but Justice Aliyu declined, citing the already tense political situation in the state.
However, the judge did grant the request to arraign the defendants in absentia, and a plea of not guilty was entered on their behalf for the eight counts filed against them.
Nureini Jimoh (SAN), counsel for the 6th defendant, who had been the only one appearing in court, reminded the judge of his preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Kano State High Court to hear the case.
He also opposed the substituted service of the charges, citing relevant sections of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law that allowed his application to be heard.
He orally notified the court that they had filed an appeal against the substituted service order granted on June 5, 2024.
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After hearing from both counsels, the judge adjourned the matter to July 23 and 24 for hearing preliminary objections and the substantive charges. The prosecution alleged that “Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, sometime around January 10, 2016, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant, corruptly asked for and received $200,000 as a benefit from a beneficiary of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on your instruction and approval as part of your function as the Governor of Kano State.” This was said to be contrary to 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 another count, Ganduje was alleged to have collected a kickback of $213,000 on February 10, 2017, from people and entities seeking or holding contracts for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).
Additionally, between September 2020 and March 2021, Ganduje, his spouse Hafsat Umar, and businessman Abubakar Bawuro of Safari Textile Ltd were accused of dishonestly converting N1.376 billion, intended for the purchase and supply of face masks and other hospital equipment for the health sector, to their own use.
This act allegedly caused wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State, constituting 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.
Kano State’s Attorney General, Muhuyi Magaji, stated he was empowered by Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 121(1), 126(b), and 377 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2019, to apply to prefer the charge against the defendants.
(Punch)
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