The Kano State Government has filed a criminal suit against former Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his two sons, and five others, accusing them of diverting over N4.49 billion of state funds meant for the Dala Inland Dry Port project.
In the case marked KN/252/25, the state government levelled a 10-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, breach of trust, and conflict of interest against the seven defendants before the Kano State High Court.
Other defendants named in the suit include the former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello; Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar (sons of Ganduje); former Special Adviser to the Governor, Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro; Adamu Aliyu Sanda; and Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
According to the charge sheet obtained by The Guardian, the defendants allegedly conspired to divert 20 percent of the state’s equity, valued at ₦4,492,387,013.76, in the Dala Inland Dry Port to private use.
The prosecution alleged that the accused fraudulently transferred 80 percent shares of the Dry Port project — including Kano State’s 20 percent equity — to private entities under the fictitious name “City Green Enterprise” to conceal the true ownership structure.
The charge further stated that the defendants diverted billions of naira belonging to the state to fund infrastructure projects such as a dual carriageway, electricity installations, and perimeter fencing at the Dry Port site for personal and family benefit.
They were also accused of using their official positions to manipulate public resources and conceal illicit ownership through proxy companies. The prosecution alleged that the accused coerced the project’s founders into relinquishing control, falsified documents, and used Safari Textile Ltd (STL Enterprise) to channel ₦750 million of state funds.
Meanwhile, Dala Inland Dry Port Limited has denied reports linking Ganduje to the ownership of the company. In a statement, its Company Secretary and co-defendant, Barrister Adamu Aliyu Sanda, dismissed the claims as “false and malicious.”
Sanda insisted that official records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and board resolutions confirm that no member of the Ganduje family is a shareholder, director, or signatory of the firm.
The case is scheduled to come up for hearing on November 17, 2025, before Justice Yusuf Ubale of the Kano State High Court.
