A US-born Kano State indigene, filmmaker and journalist, Dr. Bello Galadanci, popularly known as ?an-Bello, has revealed alleged massive financial scandal involving the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State.
According to Galadanci, the treasury has been systematically looted through a complex network of bank accounts and companies.
?an-Bello accused Hafsatu Abdullahi Umar, wife of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman and former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of involvement in fraud.
He referred to the former Kano first lady as ‘Mummy’ in the video and displayed her campaign poster. He also displayed a statement of account with her name on it.
“Everyone has a unique Bank Verification Number (BVN)”, he began, drawing attention to the fact that a single BVN was linked to 44 bank accounts, which coincidentally matching the number of local government areas in Kano State.
Galadanci pointed out in his video that these accounts were not just ordinary accounts but were tied directly to influential figures in the state, including Ganduje’s wife, whom he repeatedly referred to as ‘Mummy’.
“Let’s pay attention to Mummy’s BVN and look at the amount of accounts opened with this BVN—44”, he stated, raising concerns about the financial activities conducted through these accounts.
He further alleged that companies owned by ‘Mummy’ and her family, such as Safari Textile, were receiving money directly from the State’s treasury without any attempt to conceal the transactions. “Straight from state coffers to personal accounts,” he emphasised, noting that the account history for just one of the 44 accounts spanned 286 pages.
He also revealed that a company, named Shoreditch General Resources, was registered under the name of ‘the brother of a friend to Mummy’s son’ and used to siphon funds from the State.
?an-Bello cited specific instances where large sums of money were transferred directly from the Kano Treasury, including an N82 million transaction on May 5, 2020, followed by N63 million and another N82 million.
The scale of the alleged looting is staggering, with over N20 billion currently being traced. According to ?an-Bello, “All of Kano’s water treatment plants can be fixed and even start building a new one. Each local government in Kano can get two new primary schools. 1,000,000 people can buy N20,000 worth of medicine”.
Galadanci also raised serious questions about the influence of ‘Mummy’ over the APC leader in Nigeria and the implications for the northern region.
He concluded his exposé by linking the looting of public funds to the current state of hunger, poverty, and violence in the region.
When contacted for response to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to APC National Chairman, Edwin Olufo, was unable to respond as of press time.
