Kano State Government has filed a lawsuit at the State High Court against former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his two sons, and several others over alleged financial misconduct.
According to court documents, the state government is seeking to recover its 20 percent ownership stake in Dala Inland Dry Port Limited, along with public funds amounting to ₦4,492,387,013.76, which were allegedly diverted.
The lawsuit, filed on October 13, 2025, names the following defendants: Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; his sons, Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar; Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro, a former Special Adviser; Hassan Bello, former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council; Adamu Aliyu Sanda, a lawyer; and Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
The defendants are facing ten charges, including conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, and conflict of interest.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants colluded to fraudulently transfer 80 percent of the dry port’s shares, including the state’s 20 percent stake, to a private company called City Green Enterprise.
The alleged transaction was said to be structured to hide the true ownership of the project, which was originally meant to boost Kano’s economy.
“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,” the prosecution stated.
It was gathered that more than ₦4.49 billion in public money was diverted under the pretense of funding infrastructure for the dry port, such as road construction, power supply, and fencing.
The prosecution said these projects were funded by the state but designed to benefit companies linked to the defendants and their relatives.
A source close to the investigation described the act as a clear breach of trust and a deliberate attempt to enrich private individuals with public wealth.
“These projects were funded with state resources but tailored to benefit private and family interests. This is not just a betrayal of public trust but a systematic looting of public wealth,” the source said.
Evidence presented by prosecutors indicates that the original board of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited included a state representative, Abdullahi Haruna.
However, investigators allege that Ganduje carried out the share transfer on his own, without approval from other board members.
“The prosecution will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the equity transfer was neither legal nor transparent. Key board members were sidelined. A governor cannot single-handedly transfer state assets into private hands,” said the prosecution.
The trial is expected to include testimony from key witnesses, including the lead investigator and a former board member who claimed to have been excluded from the decision-making process.
A policy document from the era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo will also be presented to confirm Kano State’s 20 percent ownership in the dry port project.
Prosecutors further alleged that falsified documents were used to deceive regulators and that ₦750 million was funneled through a company called Safari Textile Ltd (STL Enterprise), believed to be one of several fronts involved in the alleged scheme.
The case has been assigned to High Court 2 of the Kano State Judiciary, presided over by Justice Yusuf Ubale, although no trial date has been set yet.
A senior official at the Kano State Ministry of Justice said the government’s goal is to recover public assets and ensure accountability.
“The government is committed to accountability and the recovery of all looted funds and properties. This is about protecting public resources, not personal vendettas,” the official said.
Efforts to contact Ganduje or his legal representatives for a response were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
KanyiDaily recalls that Abdullahi Ganduje was recently inaugurated as Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
