A Kano State High Court has adjourned the ongoing corruption trial of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and seven co-defendants to April 15, 2026.
Gatekeepers News reports that lawyers for both sides had told the court there are unresolved legal applications that must be heard first.
The case, which involves an 11-count charge including bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira, also names Ganduje’s wife, Hafsat Umar, his son, Abdullahi Umar, and others such as Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd as defendants.
At Tuesday’s session, the prosecution counsel, Victor Oni, said the state was prepared to move forward and noted a motion filed in November 2025 seeking court permission to introduce additional evidence.
However, several defence lawyers drew the judge’s attention to separate applications they filed previously, including motions for a stay of proceedings, preliminary objections, and other legal challenges that they argued must be dealt with before the substantive trial continues.
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, presiding over the matter, agreed that these motions must be heard first and adjourned the case to April 15, a date set specifically to deal with those outstanding legal issues rather than the main trial itself.
The Court of Appeal in Kano had earlier this year, struck out an appeal by one of the defendants challenging the High Court’s jurisdiction, effectively clearing the way for the corruption case to proceed.
The broader legal action stems from allegations by the Kano State Government that Ganduje and his co-defendants misused state funds, including claims they diverted resources worth over N4 billion for personal business interests such as improvements at the Dala Inland Dry Port, an accusation that Ganduje’s lawyers have denied and are challenging through legal motions.
