The Kano State Government has charged former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Murtala Garo, with embezzling N2.8 billion.
Mr. Garo, the son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, served as a two-term commissioner under the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration and was the APC deputy gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 General Elections.
The state government has charged Mr. Garo and his brothers, Mustapha and Mohammed, before the state High Court for allegedly diverting the said amount during his tenure as commissioner under the immediate past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.
Other defendants in the suit include Isah Kera, MJ Multipurpose Services Ltd, A.U Future Investment Ltd, and Shoreditch General Resources Ltd.
The government claims the funds were diverted from the local government stabilization funds and a one percent training fund. The alleged offense contravenes Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and Sections 121 (1), 123 (1) (a), 126 (b), and 377 of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2019).
Prosecutor Auwal Sani, acting under the authority of the state’s attorney-general, filed the suit dated August 2, 2023. The state government also alleges that Mr. Garo used the stolen funds to purchase properties in Saudi Arabia and that the embezzlement occurred between April 2020 and May 2023 while he was responsible for the receipt, custody, and disbursement of the stabilization funds for Kano State’s 44 local government areas.
Judge Amina Aliyu has adjourned the case to July 31 for a hearing.
Responding to the charges, Sanusi Musa, counsel to Mr. Garo, accused the state government of persecuting officials who served under former Governor Ganduje. He cited several court judgments barring the state’s anti-corruption and public complaints commission from investigating Mr. Ganduje and his officials.
He referred to a federal high court judgment stating that such alleged offenses can only be prosecuted by the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
