The Kano state government has filed a 10-count charge against Abdullahi Ganduje, the former governor, over the alleged diversion of its equity stake in the Dala Inland Dry Port.
The state government filed the charges on Thursday at the high court in Kano.
Other defendants in the case are Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro, former special adviser to Ganduje; Hassan Bello, former executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council; Adamu Aliyu Sanda, a legal practitioner; Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar, the two sons of Ganduje.
Recently, the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) announced that it had launched an investigation into the alleged diversion of more than N4 billion of state funds into the Dala Inland Dry Port.
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The probe centres on claims that contracts worth billions of naira for infrastructure were awarded at the port when Ganduje was governor of Kano, shortly after the state’s 20 percent equity was converted to the former governor’s family in 2020.
The transaction was said to have edged Kano state out of ownership of the facility and allegedly installed Ganduje’s children as directors and shareholders of the multi-billion-naira investment.
But the management of the port had denied the claim that Ganduje’s family members are among the shareholders.
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THE CHARGES
In the copy of the charge sheet seen by TheCable, the Kano government alleged that Ganduje and his sons, Bello, Sanda, and Bawuro, allegedly conspired to “fraudulently facilitate and execute a collusive agreement for the transfer of 80% shares of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited at Zawachiki, Kumbotso Local Government Area, including the 20% equity belonging to the Kano State Government, under the fictitious entity referred to as City Green Enterprise, thereby concealing and misrepresenting the true ownership in the transaction and unlawfully converting the Kano State’s 20% equity shares to yourselves”.
The Kano government also alleged that Ganduje committed fraud and conferred undue advantage to himself and family by misappropriating N4,492,387,013.76 and “diverted same to build and provide a double carriageway, electricity and perimeter fence for your business interest at Dala Inland Dry Port, knowing fully well that it will and thereby causing great financial loss to the Government and people of Kano State.”
The government said the alleged offences contravened the Kano Penal Code and other laws of the state.
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PREVIOUS CHARGES
Last year, the Kano government filed an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira against Ganduje; Hafsat, his wife; Umar Abdullahi Umar, his son; and five others.
Other defendants in the case include Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
In May 2025, Amina Adamu-Aliyu, judge of the Kano state high court, dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the defendants to challenge the court’s jurisdiction, describing it as “incompetent”.
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Recently, the court of appeal struck out the appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the state high court to hear the corruption case.
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