The Executive Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, has said the agency was able to track over N50 billion diverted by embattled former State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Mogaji, who appeared on a television programme at the weekend, said that the funds successfully traced by the anti-corruption Commission were half of over N100 billion meant for local government authorities in the State.
Speaking on the process through which the diversions were done, he said when local governments’ statutory allocations are sent to Kano State, “the monies were channelled to different local government accounts; they then meet with local government staff to create false expenditure with a payment voucher and then divert the money through a third party”.
Muhuyi added that the anti-corruption agency traced most of the funds to accounts of third parties at Singer Market, in the metropolis.
“We traced a lot of the diverted funds to various individual accounts at the Singer Market and subsequently took the money in cash to the State Government House, with someone stationed with a counting machine. After that, they changed it to dollars and then took it to certain individuals. We have a Bureau de-Change operator who will testify that money was sent to him and how it was changed to dollars.
“We have been able to trace over N51.3 billion based on confessional statements and how they were diverted. What we are tracking is well over N100 billion”.
The Kano anti-graft Czar noted that the Commission had gathered about 200 people who alleged that the Ganduje administration asked them to write that “they purchased cars for hospitals, drugs, which are all lies, as they did not. This is how we established over N51 billion. We have cogent and verifiable evidence that we are taking to court”.
Speaking on the involvement of Ganduje’s wife, Hafsat, in the alleged fraud, the anti-graft agency boss said the ex-governor’s spouse is a signatory to nearly all the accounts that were linked to the corrupt practices.
He also alleged that Ganduje sold Kano property at a ridiculous price to the First Family of the State during his reign in government.
While Muhuyi said the ultimate goal of investigating Ganduje is to serve as a deterrent to others, he mentioned that the ex-governor’s son, Abdulazeez, visited him last Wednesday to encourage him and support Kano anti-corruption agency in ensuring that the “system that punishes the destitute must punish the powerful.”.
Recall that in2021, Abdulazeez dragged Hafsat, his mother, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged fraudulent land-related matter.
In 2018, Ganduje was caught in a scandalous video, allegedly collecting cash in dollars in what was said to be bribe payments from public works contractors.
He was seen collecting the dollars before rolling them into his white dress, “babanriga,” in one of a series of questionable deals allegedly struck over a span of several months. Ganduje was alleged to have received up to N750 million (about 25 percent) in a deal of over N3 billion with a single contractor.
Aside from frustrating a probe of the scandal by the State Assembly, Ganduje, who at the time enjoyed immunity from prosecution as a first-time sitting governor won his re-election despite the bribery scandal.
