Kano: Gandollar Faces Judge Next Week

The immediate past governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje will be arraigned before the state high court on April 17 on allegation bordering on bribery.

Former governor Ganduje will be docked alongside his wife, and son for alleged corruption during his administration that ended last May.

Others to be arraigned with the former governor include five officials of his government, who have been indicted by the state government on alleged bribery to the tune of $413,000 and N1.38 billion.

The magazine reports that the state government vowed to prosecute the bribery allegation to the end, after a high court in the state ruled that the Kano Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission lacks the power to investigate the former governor.

Justice Abdullahi Liman, who delivered the judgement in Ganduje’s favour said the allegation is a federal offence that cannot be prosecuted by the state agency.

According to a summon made available to journalists, the state government said the former governor and his co-accused will be arraigned at 9 am before Justice Usman Na’aba on April 17.

One of the charges read, that “You, 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.”

Already, the state government said it has lined up no fewer than 15 witnesses against the former state helmsman, now the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Meanwhile, the embattled former governor has described his prosecution as an ‘afterthought” by the state government.

His remark is contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Chief Oliver Okpala, who said the state resources are being wasted unnecessarily by the Governor Yusuf Abba administration to prosecute him.