The Kano State government has filed new charges against former governor Abdullahi Ganduje and former attorney-general Musa Lawan. They face four counts related to criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, and misappropriation, as per Section 308 and punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code (as amended) CAP 105, Vol. 2, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.
Ganduje and Lawan are accused of misappropriating, diverting, and converting N240 million belonging to the state. The prosecution plans to call four witnesses, but no date has been set for their arraignment.
Previously, in April, the Kano government filed an eight-count charge against Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, his son Umar Abdullahi Umar, and five others. These charges also included bribery, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The other defendants named were Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited. On July 11, the defendants were arraigned in absentia, with the court entering pleas of not guilty on their behalf.
### Background
In 2018, the online newspaper Daily Nigerian published a video allegedly showing Ganduje receiving bundles of dollars from contractors, which he reportedly stuffed into his traditional outfit, known as ‘babanriga’. It was claimed that Ganduje solicited $5 million as kickbacks from these contractors.
In 2023, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) summoned Ganduje for questioning regarding the video. Ganduje did not comply and instead filed a lawsuit against the agency. In March, a federal high court in Kano ruled that the PCACC lacked the authority to summon or investigate Ganduje, stating that the alleged offense was a federal matter outside the agency’s jurisdiction.
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