The police on Friday arrested the lawyer prosecuting former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his children in the multibillion-naira dry port ownership scandal.
The lawyer, Muhuyi Magaji, is the immediate past chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
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He was appointed by the state government to prosecute Mr Ganduje regarding the dry port ownership scandal.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kano State Government filed criminal charges at the state high court against Mr Ganduje and his children, over the change of ownership of the dry port.
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In September, a PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation also exposed how Mr Ganduje secretly transferred the state government’s 20 per cent stake in the facility to private hands, making his children co-owners of the company before awarding a contract worth more than N4 billion to provide infrastructure for the project.
The transfer ended Kano State’s shareholding in the project, while Mr Ganduje’s children and aide, Abubakar Bawuro, became directors and shareholders.
The state government accused the defendants of conspiring to fraudulently transfer 80 per cent of the shares of Dala Inland Dry Port, including the state’s 20 per cent equity, to private ownership under the fictitious name “City Green Enterprise”.
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A colleague of Mr Magaji, Auwalu Ibrahim, told PREMIUM TIMES that his principal was arrested at his law firm office on Zaria Road in the Kano metropolis on Friday.
Mr Ibrahim said the police officers came in a truck, fully armed, and arrested Mr Magaji in a “Gestapo manner.”
Mr Ibrahim further stated that the police headquarters in Kano confirmed that the team that carried out the arrest was from the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, said he had yet to be briefed about the incident.
Ganduje to appear in court
Meanwhile, Mr Ganduje, who was the governor between 2015 and 2023, is scheduled to appear before the state high court on 18 December, alongside his three children and Mr Bawuro to face a ten-count charge of criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, breach of trust, and conflict of interest.
Others charged by the state government include former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, and Mr Ganduje’s family lawyer, Adamu Aliyu-Sanda.
The prosecution also alleged that the defendants diverted over ₦4.49 billion of Kano State funds to execute infrastructure projects such as a double carriageway, electricity, and perimeter fencing at the dry port for their personal and family benefit.
The defendants also faced charges of abuse of office and conflict of interest, as it was alleged that they leveraged their official roles to redirect public resources for personal benefit, thereby violating financial and constitutional regulations.
The prosecution has assembled several key witnesses, including government officials who were allegedly manipulated to sign documents that perfected fraudulent transactions from the state government to the Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
What Premium Times’ investigation exposed
When Dala Inland Dry Port Limited was incorporated on 8 December 2003, its only directors were the founder, Ahmad Rabiu, and his son, Rabiu Ahmad Rabiu.
Two years later, at an extraordinary general meeting on 19 January 2005, the board was expanded with the appointment of four new directors: Abdulaziz Haladu, Anwar Isyaku-Rabiu, Diepreye George, and Abdullahi Kwaru.
Records obtained by this newspaper show that on 5 March 2020, Mr Ganduje’s three children and his longtime associate, Abubakar Bawuro, replaced Mr Rabiu’s son and all other directors elected in 2005 as board members of the company.
Minutes of the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on 5 March 2020, at its Zaria Road office in Kano, confirmed the appointment of Abdulaziz Abdullahi Umar, Umar Abdullahi Umar, and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar—all children of Mr Ganduje —alongside Mr Bawuro as new directors of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
It was also at the meeting that the state government was removed as a co-owner of the dry port and the Ganduje children were appointed, not just as directors, but also as shareholders with five million shares each.
According to its “ordinary resolution,” the meeting was “attended by all the shareholders,” and “it was unanimously resolved” that Abdulaziz Abdullah Umar, Umar Abdullahi Umar, and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar —the three children of Mr Ganduje —be allotted five million shares each, each being 20 per cent of the total 25 million shares of the company.
READ ALSO: Kano govt charges Ganduje, children with fraud over multi-billion naira port ownership scandal
Mr Rabiu and Mr Bawuro were also each allotted 20 per cent, creating a new ownership structure of five equal shareholders, each with 20 per cent of the company’s shares.
This structure edged out the Kano State Government from the ownership of the company.
The state government said due process was not followed in the divestment process, accusing Mr Ganduje of using his office to undermine the state.
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