Kano Government Files Fresh ₦57.4 Billion Fraud Charges Against Ex-Gov. Ganduje, 3 Others

Confidence UbaniAugust 9, 20241 Mins read413

The Kano State Government has filed new fraud charges against former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others. The case involves a large sum of ₦57.4 billion.

Initiated by the Kano State Ministry of Justice, the case accuses the defendants of conspiring to misappropriate funds intended for developmental projects across the 44 local government areas in Kano State.

Ganduje, Garo, Lamin Sani, and Muhammad Takai are accused of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, false statements, and misappropriation. The state claims that the defendants mismanaged statutory allocations remitted to the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation account. Allegedly, they diverted ₦57.4 billion through various personal accounts, including those of local government cashiers.

The prosecution further alleges that the defendants converted these funds into foreign currencies for their benefit. They are reported to have acquired several luxurious properties. This includes a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial apartment in Dubai, and a multi-billion naira hotel in Jabi, Abuja. Other acquisitions involve filling stations on Gwarzo Road and Eastern Bypass in Kano.

A detailed list of 143 witnesses supports the case. These witnesses include local government cashiers and former bank employees expected to testify critically about the defendants’ alleged illegal activities.

This latest filing follows previous fraud charges against Ganduje for alleged bribery totalling $413,000 and ₦1.38 billion. His wife, Hafsat, and son, Umar, were named as co-defendants in the earlier case.

Regarding the fresh fraud charges against Ganduje, no trial date has been set for the proceedings.

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