Ex-APC National Chairman Ganduje, and sons among others have been dragged to court over alleged ₦4.49bn Kano fraud scandal.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Kano State Government has filed a high-profile lawsuit against former Governor and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his two sons, and several associates over an alleged ₦4.49 billion fraud involving the Dala Inland Dry Port project.
The suit, filed before the Kano State High Court on October 13, 2025, seeks to recover the state’s 20 per cent equity stake in the Dala Inland Dry Port Limited and reclaim misappropriated public funds totaling ₦4,492,387,013.76.
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Named in the charge are Ganduje’s sons: Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar alongside Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro (former Special Adviser), Hassan Bello (ex-Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council), Adamu Aliyu Sanda (legal practitioner), and Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
The defendants are facing a 10-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, breach of trust, and conflict of interest.
According to the charge sheet, Ganduje and his co-defendants allegedly conspired to fraudulently transfer 80% of the dry port’s shares including the state’s 20% equity to private interests through a shell company named City Green Enterprise.
Investigators say the transaction was structured to disguise ownership and divert state assets meant for Kano’s economic development into private hands.
“The defendants deliberately hijacked a federal initiative and used proxies and fake entities to conceal the diversion of public assets meant for the people of Kano State,” prosecutors alleged.
Documents presented by state investigators also allege that over ₦4.49 billion was siphoned under the guise of infrastructure development including the construction of roads, fencing, and power projects that were state-funded but privately controlled.
Sources within the Kano Ministry of Justice described the move as part of a broader anti-corruption drive to reclaim looted state resources.
“These projects were financed by public funds but tailored to benefit private and family interests,” an insider said. “This represents a grave betrayal of public trust.”
Prosecution evidence reportedly includes falsified documents, bank records, and a ₦750 million transfer through Safari Textile Ltd (STL Enterprise) one of several alleged front companies.
The case has been assigned to Justice Yusuf Ubale of High Court 2, Kano State Judiciary, though a trial date has not yet been set.
A senior official from the Kano State Ministry of Justice emphasized that the case is not politically motivated:
“This is about accountability and justice. The government is determined to recover every kobo belonging to the people of Kano.”
Efforts to obtain comments from Ganduje or his legal representatives were unsuccessful as of press time.
