Kano anti-graft agency files new charges against Ganduje

The Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission has filed new charges bordering on corruption and maladministration against former governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Chairman of the anti-corruption commission, Muhuyi Magaji, disclosed this in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.

Magaji said the initial allegations against Gandujel were the tip of the iceberg and called on public officials to be accountable.

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“As I am talking to you, we are investigating a case whereby N51.3bn local government funds were directly taken from the government coffers (and) sent to other individuals and we traced it to people,” he said.

Magaji alleged that Ganduje’s government took N1 billion from Kano State coffers a month before the expiration of the administration’s tenure in May 2023.

According to him, the money was sent to Bureau de Change operators and not used to renovate roads as earlier budgeted.

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“We have piled series of cases. We have a case whereby N1bn in April last year (2023) was removed from government coffers under the allocation of renovating 30 roads in the metropolis,” he said.

“The money was taken away and sent to Bureau de Change operators.

“We have a case of N4bn whereby it was sent from the consolidated revenue account of Kano State to an agricultural company. All these cases are before the court.”

Magaji added that the Kano anti-graft commission has the right to investigate alleged corruption and maladministration by Ganduje’s government despite the court ruling that money laundering was a federal offence.

He admitted that Ganduje appointed him as the chairman of the anti-graft commission but that would not deter him from prosecuting the allegations of corruption against the former Kano State governor and current national cahirman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Incidentally, His Excellency, the former governor was the one that appointed me in 2015 to to head the agency and I was re-appointed in 2020 for another five-year term,” Magaji said.

“Basically, we have an institution in the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission that is devoid of political activities and dedicated to fight corruption, check maladministration and fight injustice.

“I started investigating the administration of Ganduje when he was Kano governor. There should be no sacred cows in the anti-corruption fight in the state.

“That is the beauty of what we are doing. In Nigeria, we are not supposed to have those that will be shielded.

“Even, we that are in the anti-corruption agency, our integrity has been tested. And that is how it is supposed to be. Anybody that is charged before the court of law, let him go and answer.”

The Kano High Court is set to arraign Ganduje on Wednesday, April 17 on charges of allegations diversion, misappropriation of public funds and alleged acceptance of $413,000 and N1.38bn in bribes.