A Kano State High Court has adjourned the trial of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, his son, Abdullahi Umar, and five others until April 15, 2026, over allegations of bribery, conspiracy, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira.
News360 Inf0 reports that Ganduje and his co-defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on misappropriation of public funds, conspiracy, and accepting bribes during his tenure as governor of Kano State.
Others standing trial alongside the former governor are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the prosecution informed the court of its readiness to proceed with the case and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.
However, defence lawyers presented multiple pending applications, urging the court to determine those first before proceeding to trial.
Counsel to the defendants, Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, informed the court of a motion filed on July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Similarly, Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, pointed to a pending motion dated May 23, 2025.
Counsel to the fifth defendant, Muhammad Shehu, notified the court of an affidavit of fact indicating a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, representing the sixth defendant, said he had filed a notice of preliminary objection alongside an application for extension of time to respond on points of law. Both were dated February 2, 2026.
Meanwhile, Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, expressed readiness to proceed with the trial.
After hearing from both prosecution and defence counsels, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu adjourned the matter until April 15, 2026, for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The case has suffered repeated delays due to legal technicalities. Earlier, the high court dismissed preliminary objections filed by the defence, affirming its jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Dissatisfied, the defendants appealed the ruling, but in October 2025, the Court of Appeal in Kano struck out the appeal, citing improper transmission of the record of appeal.
