Alleged Corruption: Court Takes Action Over Trial of Ganduje, His Wife, Others
- Kano High Court adjourned trial of former governor Ganduje and seven others to 3 February 2026
- Kano state government filed 11-count charge against Ganduje, his wife, and other defendants alleging bribery, conspiracy, and misappropriation of funds
- Court granted prosecution’s request for more time while defence expressed readiness to proceed
Kano state - A High Court in Kano state has adjourned the trial of former governor Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and seven others.
The new date for the case is 3 February 2026, setting the date for the hearing of all pending motions.
Source: Twitter
The Kano state government filed an 11-count charge against Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and other defendants, alleging bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira, This Day reported.
The other defendants are Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
Prosecution seeks more time
During Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel to the state government, Jedidiah Akpata, told the court that the prosecution was not ready to continue.
“My Lord, we are not ready to proceed. We seek the leave of the court to move our application for extension of time,” Akpata said.
The prosecution filed a motion for an extension of time to respond to the defendants’ motion for a stay of proceedings, as well as another application seeking additional time to address a preliminary objection raised by the sixth defendant.
Defence expresses readiness to proceed
Source: Twitter
Counsel to Ganduje, his wife, and son, Mrs Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, said the defence team was prepared to continue with the matter, Vanguard reported.
“My Lord, we are ready. We are not opposing the prosecution’s motion for extension of time,” she told the court.
Counsel representing the 3rd and 7th defendants, Chief M. N. Duru (SAN), also stated their readiness to proceed. Lawyers for the 5th, 6th, and 8th defendants echoed the same position.
Judge grants request and sets new date
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu granted the prosecution’s request for extension of time and adjourned the case until 3 February 2026.
The court noted that the trial had already suffered several adjournments for similar reasons.
Timipre Sylva placed on FBI, Interpol watchlists
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted for alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257 said to have been provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for a refinery project.
In a public notice released on Monday, November 10, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said the funds were meant for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The commission obtained a Federal High Court warrant on November 6, 2025, mandating security agencies to arrest Sylva and bring him before investigators.
Source: Legit.ng
