A Kano State High Court on Wednesday postponed the corruption trial of former governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and seven others, moving the matter to 3 February 2026 for the hearing of all outstanding applications.
The case—filed by the Kano State Government—accuses Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and several associates of involvement in an alleged multi-billion-naira fraud scheme. The 11-count charge includes bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds.
Those standing trial alongside the former governor are Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
The proceedings have witnessed repeated delays, slowing down the start of the substantive trial.
When the case was called on Wednesday, counsel for the state government, Jedidiah Akpata, told the court that the prosecution was not ready to continue. He requested permission to file additional motions and asked for more time to respond to the defence applications.
“We filed a motion on 19 November 2025, and subsequently on 20 November, seeking an extension to reply to the respondents’ request for a stay of proceedings,” Akpata informed the court. He added that another motion, dated 24 November and filed the next day, sought more time to counter the sixth defendant’s preliminary objection.
Despite the prosecution’s stance, the defence teams signalled readiness to proceed.
Counsel representing Ganduje, his wife, and son, Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, said the defence was prepared for hearing but did not oppose the state’s request for additional time. Lawyers for the third and seventh defendants, led by Chief M. N. Duru, SAN, and other defence counsel—including Abdul Adamu-Fagge, SAN, Abubakar Ahmad, and Abdulrazaq A. Ahmed—also confirmed readiness.
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu granted the prosecution’s application for more time and adjourned the matter to February 3, 2026, when all pending motions will be heard.
