- Kano State Government has filed a criminal case against ex-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and six others over alleged ₦4.49bn fraud at Dala Dry Port.
- The defendants are accused of diverting 20% state equity and misappropriating public funds for personal benefit.
- Prosecutors allege the accused created fake companies to conceal ownership and manipulated official records.
- The management of Dala Inland Dry Port denies any link between Ganduje or his family and the company’s ownership.
In what appears to be one of the most high-profile corruption cases in the state’s history, the Kano State Government has taken former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, ex-Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, and five others to court over allegations of fraud, conspiracy, and breach of public trust.
According to court documents in criminal suit No. KN/252/25, the seven defendants face a 10-count charge bordering on the alleged diversion of ₦4,492,387,013.76 funds meant for the state’s equity stake in the Dala Dry Land Port project. The prosecution claimed that the defendants conspired to transfer 80 percent of the dry port’s shares, including the government’s 20 percent equity, to private firms under the fake name “City Green Enterprise.”
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The charge sheet further alleged that the funds were used to execute infrastructure projects such as a double carriageway, perimeter fencing, and electricity around the port site, which prosecutors say were for personal and family benefits rather than public interest.
Others named in the case include Ganduje’s sons, Umar Abdullahi Umar and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar; former Special Adviser, Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro; Adamu Aliyu Sanda; and Dala Inland Dry Port Limited. They are accused of using proxy companies and forged documents to conceal the true ownership structure of the dry port and divert state funds through entities like Safari Textile Ltd (STL Enterprise), allegedly facilitating the movement of ₦750 million.
The prosecution’s evidence claims that the original founders of the Dala Dry Port were coerced into relinquishing control, retaining only nominal shares, while fraudulent documents were used to mislead regulatory agencies.
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However, the management of Dala Inland Dry Port has denied the allegations linking Ganduje or any member of his family to the ownership of the company. In a statement signed by the company secretary, Adamu Aliyu Sanda, one of the defendants, the firm described the media reports 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 to the company’s accounts. The case is scheduled for hearing on November 17, 2025, before Justice Yusuf Ubale of the Kano State High Court.
