Court Adjourns Ex-Governor Ganduje’s Alleged Bribery, Misappropriation Case To November
Court Adjourns Ex-Governor Ganduje’s Alleged Bribery, Misappropriation Case To November
The Kano State government had filed an 11-count charge against the former governor and his co-defendants, accusing them of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira.
The scheduled hearing in the high-profile bribery and misappropriation case involving former Kano State Governor and ex-All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six others, was on Monday stalled at the Kano State High Court due to the defendants’ inability to file pending applications.
The Kano State government had filed an 11-count charge against the former governor and his co-defendants, accusing them of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira.
Others charged alongside Ganduje and his wife include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
During Monday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), informed the court that the state was fully prepared to open its case, with witnesses already present.
“My Lord, the prosecution is fully prepared to proceed. Our witnesses are present, and we are ready to open our case. We urge the court to dismiss the respondents’ applications and allow the matter to go on,” Adedipe stated.
However, counsel representing Ganduje, his wife, and son, Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, told the court that the defense was not ready, as the service of their newly filed documents had not been properly effected.
“My Lord, we are not ready. We have filed our further and better affidavit dated and filed on July 17, 2025. Although we have served the parties, service has not been properly effected. We seek an adjourned date to regularise this.
Likewise, counsel for the 3rd and 7th defendants, Chief M. N. Duru (SAN), told the court that his clients had filed a motion accompanied by a further affidavit dated May 21, 2025.
“We have filed our processes and request that the matter be adjourned to enable proper hearing,” he said.
For his part, counsel to the fifth defendant, Sunusi Musa (SAN), informed the court that his team had filed an application for a stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal.
“We have a pending appeal and have applied for a stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal. Until that is determined, we are unable to proceed with the substantive matter,” Musa said.
Meanwhile, counsel for the sixth defendant, Abubakar Ahmad, informed the court that a notice of preliminary objection had been filed, adding that they were not prepared to proceed with the hearing.
Similarly, counsel for the eighth defendant, Abdulrazaq A. Ahmed, stated that they assumed the case was merely slated for mention, as the previous hearing date had been rescheduled.
In her ruling, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu expressed displeasure over the repeated delays and ordered all parties to file and serve their pending motions before the next adjourned date.
“All parties are hereby ordered to file and serve their pending motions before the next date. The court expects full compliance,” the judge ruled.
However, Justice Adamu-Aliyu subsequently adjourned the case to November 26, 2025, for the hearing of all pending applications.
