Efforts by the Kano State Government to prosecute the immediate past Governor, Umar Ganduje, over alleged misappropriation of public funds have suffered a major setback after hunger protesters carted away documents containing corruption charges against him from the State High Court.
The corruption case file brought before the court by the state government was said to have been carted away by the protesters who vandalized the Kano High Court during the August 1st nationwide demonstration.
The Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, disclosed this on Wednesday when he visited the court to ascertain the extent of damage done to the facility during the protest in the state.
Yusuf, in a statement made available to newsmen by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, on Wednesday, described the attack on the facility as a master-minded and staged-managed mission in which the hired miscreants carted away the documents to shield the former governor, his family, and aides from the trial.
According to the statement: “It is regrettable that enemies of Kano State hired undesirable elements to vandalise one of the historic public buildings with a mission of averting corruption charges against the Ag. National Chairman of APC and former governor of the state Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his family and aides.
“The miscreants destroyed virtually all units of the High Court including the office of the state Chief Judge with loss accruing to more than one billion naira through stealing of office equipment, destroying offices, burning cars and other relevant materials crucial to the dispensation of justice.
“Alhaji Abba Kabir called on the youth in the state to desist from being used by detractors to engage in violence, rather they should concentrate on skills acquisition for a better future emphasizing that the government will not relent in securing the lives and property of the people of Kano State.
“The Governor assured that Judiciary as the last hope of the common man must be protected at all cost, he, therefore, directed for the immediate rehabilitation of the building with immediate effect and deployment of adequate security for effective justice delivery.
“He commiserated with the Chief Judge, Dije Abdu Aboki and the entire Judiciary family for the ugly incident urging them to brace up to cover what was lost in the court proceedings for the benefit of the common man.
“Alhaji Abba Kabir commended the people of the state for their support and cooperation to the present administration and prayed for the sustenance of the tempo for peace, stability, prosperity, and economic development.
“The Governor was conducted round the court premises by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Haruna Isah Dederi, Chief Registrar of the High Court, Alhaji Abdullahi Ado Bayero, and other High Court Judges of the State,” the statement however reads.
