Alleged N57.4b Fraud: Kano files fresh charges against Ganduje, three others

The Kano State Government has filed a fresh fraud charge against the immediate past Governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, his Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others.

According to the charge sheet, Garo, Lamin Sani, and Muhammad Takai were charged with criminal conspiracy.

They are also charged with criminal breach of trust, making false statements or returns, and criminal misappropriation.

The state accused them of mismanaging the 44 Local Government’s statutory allocations remitted to the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation account.

They were also accused of criminally diverting N57.4 billion through several personal accounts of Local Government’s cashiers and other personal and corporate accounts, the charge sheet said.

The state government also accused them of transferring the funds into dollars for their personal benefits.

The state further alleged that they acquired a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial apartment at Akoya Oxygen (x20868 Dubai) in Tigerwood, and plot 2201 Floor 22 Damac Height, Marsa Dubai Marina, a multibillion-dollar hotel in Jabi, Abuja.

In the charge sheet, the state said it would call 143 witnesses.

No date has been fixed for the matter.

NAN reports that on April 4, the Kano government filed a suit against Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six others before the Kano High Court. The six others include Ganduje’s son, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd., Safari Textiles Ltd., and Lesage General Enterprises.

NAN also reports that on July 16, in the charge sheet with case No. K/143c/24, the state government accused Ganduje and erstwhile commissioner for justice, Musa Lawan, of criminal conspiracy and misappropriation.

The Kano government accused Ganduje and Lawan of abuse of office. NAN