The Kano State Government (KNSG) has filed new charges against former Governor Umar Ganduje and three others, in a move to hold them accountable for their actions while in office.
The charges were filed against Ganduje, his former Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, and two others, Lamin Sani and Muhammad Takai, who were also part of the former governor’s administration.
Garo, Sani, and Takai are accused of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, false statement production, and misappropriation of funds, which are serious offenses that carry significant penalties.
The charges allege that they mishandled statutory allocations meant for the 44 local governments in Kano State, which were channeled into the State Joint Local Governments account from the Federation account.
The funds, which were meant to be used for the development of the local governments, were instead diverted into personal accounts, a clear violation of trust and abuse of power.
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A total of ₦57.4 billion was allegedly diverted through personal accounts of local government cashiers and other individual and corporate accounts, a staggering amount that could have made a significant impact if used for its intended purpose.
The defendants are accused of converting the funds into dollars for personal gain, a clear case of money laundering and abuse of office.
The properties allegedly acquired with the diverted funds include a service apartment on Murtala Muhammad Way, a commercial property at Akoya Oxygen in Dubai, and a plot at Damac Height, Marsa Dubai Marina, among others.
Additionally, a multi-billion-naira hotel in Jabi, Abuja, is mentioned in the allegations, a clear indication of the scale of the corruption.
The state government has declared its intent to present 143 witnesses during the trial, a clear indication of the strength of the case against the defendants, but a court date has not yet been scheduled.
