The lawyer prosecuting former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his children in the multi-billion-naira dry port ownership scandal has narrated why the police arrested him, following his release 3s on Saturday.
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 arrested on Friday in his office in Kano by the police and taken to Abuja.
He had been appointed by the state government to prosecute Mr Ganduje regarding the dry port ownership scandal.
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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.
Following his release, Mr Magaji told reporters that the police arrested him based on petitions written against him by Mr Ganduje over the Dala Inland Dry Port Limited and former Managing Director of Kano State Agricultural Company (KASCO), Bala Inuwa.
Speaking to DCL Hausa, Mr Magaji said he was released after spending more than 24 hours in police detention.
According to him, his arrest was linked to his role as the lead prosecution counsel in the dry port case.
“You know, since I left office as PCACC Chairman, I returned to active legal practice, and I am the lead counsel in that Dala Inland Dry Port case.
“When I was arrested, I was sandwiched to Abuja under heavy police guard, with two armed officers on both sides of me and three others in the front seat. That was how I was ferried from Kano to Abuja.
“We traveled through the night and only arrived around 3 a.m.,” Mr Magaji said.
“So, when we got there, I was served with fresh court charges bordering on malicious charges and defamation on the charges I brought to court against Ganduje and his children.
“If not in Nigeria, tell me where a suspect standing trial would refuse to defend himself and instead hire police officers to arrest the lead prosecution counsel and accuse him of defamation?” Mr Magaji said.
The police released him on bail and instructed him to report back in Abuja on Wednesday, while also seizing his international passport.
Mr Ganduje is yet to comment on the claims. His spokesperson, Abba Anwar, declined to comment on the matter.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kano State Government has filed criminal charges at the State High Court against Mr Ganduje and his children, over the Dala Inland Dry Port Limited ownership scandal.
In September, PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation 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”.
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 Abubakar Bawuro, to face a 10-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.
