Justice Amina Adamu of the Kano State High Court 7 has granted an order to serve former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, son, and four others through substituted means in the high-profile bribery and misappropriation case against them.
The order came after the prosecution counsel, Zahradeen Kofar-Mata, standing in for the lead prosecutor Ya’u Adamu Esq., filed a motion seeking to serve the defendants “through substituted means by publication in two national dailies with wide circulation.”
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The case, initially before a Kano High Court 4 presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba, was transferred to Court 7 under Justice Adamu. The Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) in Kano State had dragged Ganduje, his wife, son, and four others to court on charges “bordering on alleged corruption, bribery, misappropriation, and division of public funds running into billions of naira.”
According to Justice Adamu’s ruling on Wednesday, “Ganduje, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth respondents be served through substituted means on the pages of two national dailies with wide circulation.”
The other defendants include Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, Lasage General Enterprises Limited, Abubakar Bawuro, and Jibrilla Muhammad.
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The case has faced several legal hurdles, with the defense counsel, Nureini Jimoh, SAN, initially challenging the appearance of the lead prosecution counsel, Ya’u Adamu, on grounds of a fiat issue. During the proceedings, Jimoh objected to the motion ex-parte seeking to serve the respondents through substituted means, but Justice Adamu overruled the objection.
The court has adjourned the case until July 11, 2024, for a hearing, and all parties involved have been ordered to present their individual fiat to the court.
The case against the former governor and his associates has garnered significant attention, as it involves allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds during Ganduje’s tenure as the governor of Kano State.
