by Nurat Uthman
The Kano State Government has filed new charges against the immediate-past governor of the state and current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and a former Commissioner for Justice, Musa Lawan.
Ganduje and Lawal in the fresh charge, alleged to have committed financial misconduct involving ₦240 million.
The charges, listed under case No. K/143c/24 and filed on Tuesday, accuse Ganduje and Lawan of criminal conspiracy and misappropriation, offenses contrary to Section 308 and punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code (as amended) CAP 105, Vol. 2, Laws of Kano State.
The document states, “The duo are standing trial for dishonestly, fraudulently, and without reasonable justification, in the abuse of your respective offices, conspired between yourselves, misappropriated, diverted, and converted the sum of Two Hundred and Forty Million Naira (N240,000,000.00) to finance purely personal and private cases for your own personal and private benefit, thereby causing wrongful gain to yourselves and wrongful loss to the Government and people of Kano State.”
The prosecution plans to present four witnesses to testify against the defendants in the case alleging that Ganduje, used his position as governor to conspire with Lawan, who initiated a memo requesting the funds for civil litigation involving Kano State staff by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The funds were allegedly used to secure an order preventing the EFCC from investigating bribery and corruption allegations against Ganduje.
The charges against Ganduje and Lawan include criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and criminal misappropriation, all contravening various sections of the Penal Code (as amended) CAP 105, Vol. 2, Laws of Kano State.
The court has yet to set a date for the commencement of the trial.
This latest legal action adds to series of legal challenges slammed on the former Kano State governor and his associates by the state government
Recently, a high court in Kano entered a not-guilty plea for Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and other defendants in absentia on an eight-count charge, including bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds.
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu however dismissed the state government’s application for a bench warrant against the defendants, stating, “The trial of the defendants continues even in their absence.”
Previously, the court had on June 5 granted an order to serve Ganduje and the other defendants through substituted service.
Justice Adamu-Aliyu adjourned the case till October 23 and 24 for the hearing of the preliminary objection and the main charges.
