Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu of the Kano State High Court on Thursday ruled that the trial of the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his wife would continue even in their absence.
The Kano State government had filed an eight-count charge of bribery and misappropriation against Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six other persons.
Other defendants are – Abubakar Bawuro; Umar Abdullahi Umar; Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
They were accused of bribery, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds totalling billions of naira from 2015 to 2023.
The court on June 5 granted an order to serve Ganduje and the other defendants through substituted service.
The former governor had since approached the Federal High Court, Kano, to stop the trial.
At Thursday’s proceeding, Justice Adamu-Aliyu dismissed the state government’s application for a bench warrant against the defendants.
“The trial of the defendants continues even in their absence,” she said.
She adjourned the case till October 23 and 24 for the hearing of the preliminary objection and the main charge.
