A prominent Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, has called on the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to ensure that corruption cases against his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his close associates are fully pursued.
Mr Hikima, a rights advocate, fears that several pending cases of alleged financial impropriety and unlawful acquisition of public assets could be quietly abandoned following Governor Yusuf’s recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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PREMIUM TIMES recalls that Mr Yusuf resigned from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) on Friday and officially joined the APC on Monday, stating that his decision was taken in the best interest of the people of Kano State.
However, the governor’s defection has drawn criticism from many Kano residents, who faulted him for joining the same party he spent years fighting before defeating it at the polls.
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Others, however, praised the move, describing it as strategic alignment with the federal government.
Fears of burial of court cases
Expressing his concerns in a video posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Mr Hikima, who spoke in Hausa, said the unfolding political developments in Kano could lead to the outright burial of corruption charges against Mr Ganduje.
“My concern is that there is still a clear obligation on the governor of Kano State to ensure that allegations against individuals widely believed to have looted public funds or acted unlawfully are pursued,” Mr Hikima said.
He added, “As was loudly promised during the campaigns, these people must still be pursued so that all allegedly stolen funds can be recovered.”
“It should not be that simply because they are now in the same political party, everything is swept under the carpet.”
Mr Hikima noted that since 2019, members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement—including Governor Yusuf himself, both before and after his election—had consistently accused Mr Ganduje of various offences, ranging from theft and abuse of office to allegations involving members of his family.
Allegations against Ganduje
Speaking on the nature of the accusations, Mr Hikima said he personally approached the courts no fewer than 22 times on matters bordering on public interest during Mr Ganduje’s administration.
“I know what I’m saying. I went to court 22 times over scandals involving the former governor of Kano State that concerned the public,” he said.
“I challenged the proposed construction of shops along Katsina Road, where people’s houses were blocked. I also went to court over the Kwari Market, where there were plans to build on public roads within the market.”
He further accused the former governor of forcibly acquiring farmland that was later converted into housing estates without adequate compensation to the original owners.
“In Madobi Local Government Area,” he said, “large farmlands belonging to people were used to construct estates, but no meaningful compensation was paid.”
“There were also cases of taking property from one private owner and handing it over to another, or converting public assets into private hands,” Mr Hikima alleged.
He accused the former Ganduje administration of selling public schools and cemeteries. He also alleged persistent conflicts with commercial tricycle operators (adaidaita sahu), who were reportedly burdened with multiple taxes.
According to him, traders were not spared either. “Illegal levies were imposed on traders at Kwari Market,” he said.
‘I fought for Abba to become governor’
Mr Hikima acknowledged that he actively supported Governor Yusuf’s candidature—then popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida—during the elections.
He stated that his support was not based on any personal relationship with the governor, but was driven solely by a desire to end the Ganduje administration.
“We went to court as if our lives depended on it. That was why, in the last election, I supported Abba Gida-Gida. I didn’t want to keep going to court every day over things that a governor could resolve with a simple commitment to justice,” he said.
He also claimed that lives were lost during the struggle to ensure that Mr Yusuf, the NNPP candidate, won the 2023 governorship election.
“Some people lost their lives because they wanted Abba Gida-Gida to win, while the Ganduje camp insisted he would not,” he said, recalling the violence that marred the election period.
“There were incidents in Dala Local Government Area. People can still recall what happened,” the lawyer added.
Mr Hikima further referenced the campaign rhetoric attributed to the Kano State APC leader, Abdullahi Abbas, “Ko da tsiya ko da tsiyaya” (by whatever means necessary), which he claimed was used to mobilise supporters to acts of violence.
“We were told these people were incapable and had nothing to offer. So why are they now being embraced and celebrated?” he asked, referring to the governor’s realignment with the APC led by Mr Ganduje.
‘Ganduje should have been arrested’
Mr Hikima said that instead of being arrested, Mr Ganduje was sighted at the Kano State Government House celebrating with Governor Yusuf despite allegedly ignoring court summons.
“Ganduje is being sought by two courts, and he has refused to appear. A warrant should have been issued for his arrest,” he insisted.
“But instead, he was at the Government House, with police officers and security operatives all around. It looked like a comedy,” he said.
“As hands were raised in celebration,” he added, “everything was forgiven, and the poor masses were left with their losses—including lives that were sacrificed. Families were divided, and now we are told everything is being done in the best interest of the people.”
‘People should open their eyes’
The lawyer urged Kano residents to remain vigilant and learn from recent events.
“I am calling on ordinary people to open their eyes. You can see what is happening in this country and how leaders treat us. We must understand what to do, because we have no country other than this one,” he said.
“If you refuse to speak or do what is right, you will eventually feel the consequences yourself,” Mr Hikima warned, cautioning against public apathy in the face of decisions that could shape both individual lives and Nigeria’s future.
PREMIUM TIMES investigation on Ganduje
PREMIUM TIMES previously exposed how Mr Ganduje allegedly transferred the Kano State Government’s 20 per cent stake in the Dala Inland Dry Port to private hands, making his children co-owners of the facility before awarding a contract worth over ₦4 billion for infrastructure development at the port.
READ ALSO: Court refuses to issue arrest warrant for Ganduje over port ownership scandal
The transfer effectively ended the state government’s shareholding, while Mr Ganduje’s children and an aide, Abubakar Bawuro, became directors and shareholders.
During court proceedings, counsel to the Kano State Government, Ya’u Adamu, applied under Section 388 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Kano for a bench warrant against all defendants for failure to appear in court.
However, the State High Court No. 2, sitting at the Audu Bako Secretariat Complex, declined the request. The presiding judge, Yusuf Ubale, ruled that issuing a bench warrant at that stage would be premature.
Mr Ganduje, who A.S. Gadanya, SAN, represented, objected to the application, challenging the service of court processes. He argued that the order for substituted service was invalid, null, and ultra vires.
The court granted the application to hear the preliminary objections and adjourned the matter to 23 February.
The state government is accusing Mr Ganduje and other defendants of conspiring to fraudulently transfer 80 per cent of the shares of the Dala Inland Dry Port—including the state’s 20 per cent equity—to private ownership under the fictitious name City Green Enterprise.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants diverted over ₦4.49 billion of Kano State funds to execute infrastructure projects at the dry port for personal and family benefit, including road construction, electricity supply and perimeter fencing.
The defendants are also facing charges of abuse of office and conflict of interest, for allegedly using their official positions to redirect public resources for personal gain, in violation of financial and constitutional regulations.
