The Kano State government has filed a 10-count criminal charge against former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, former executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello and five others over the alleged diversion of N4.49 billion belonging to the state.
The suit, marked KN/252/2025, was lodged before the Kano State High Court, accusing the defendants of criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, breach of trust and conflict of interest in the handling of the Dala Inland Dry Port project.
Others named in the case are Ganduje’s sons, Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar; Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro, a former special adviser to the Governor; Adamu Aliyu Sanda and Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired to fraudulently transfer 80 per cent shares of Dala Inland Dry Port, including the state’s 20 per cent equity to private ownership under a fictitious entity known as “City Green Enterprise,” purportedly to conceal the true beneficiaries.
The prosecution further claimed that the defendants diverted over N4.49 billion in state funds, originally allocated for the project’s infrastructure including a double carriageway, electricity and perimeter fencing for personal and family benefit.
The charge also alleged that the defendants used sham entities and proxies to hide ownership of the dry port shares, diverted public funds to family-controlled firms, and manipulated official documents and correspondence to deceive regulatory authorities.
One of the transactions allegedly involved N750 million channelled through Safari Textile Ltd (STL Enterprise) to facilitate the diversion.
Prosecutors said the alleged fraud followed a scheme in which the original project founders were coerced into relinquishing control, retaining only nominal shares while control shifted to associates linked to the defendants.
However, in a swift reaction, the management of Dala Inland Dry Port (DIDP) dismissed reports linking Ganduje or members of his family to the ownership of the company.
In a statement signed by the company secretary, Barrister Adamu Aliyu Sanda, who is also one of the defendants, the firm described the allegations as “false and malicious.”
“Verified records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and board resolutions confirm that no member of the Ganduje family has ever been a shareholder, director or signatory of the company,” Sanda stated.
He added that the DIDP remained a legitimate public-private partnership venture, emphasising that media reports suggesting political interference or personal ownership were unfounded.
The case has been fixed for November 17, 2025, before Justice Yusuf Ubale of the Kano State High Court.
