Court Delivers Final Judgment On Gov. Ganduje’s Bribery Case

A suit filed by a Kano based lawyer Bulama Bukarti seeking an order of the court compelling the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for allegedly receiving a kickback from a contractor, has been dismissed by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano.

Naija News reports that the Federal High Court sitting in Kano, northern Nigeria, dismissed the case on Monday afternoon, December 16 for ” lack of evidence.”

This online news platform recalls that the Kano based lawyer had approached the court seeking an order compelling the EFCC to provide a report of its forensic investigation analysis of the said video allegedly showing Ganduje receiving a kickback from an unknown contractor.

However, presiding over the matter today, Justice Egwuatu ruled that even though where the affidavit deposed to, is not countered, it is deemed admitted, the evidence therein must be cogent and verifiable.

Justice Egwuatu held that the provisions of Freedom of Information Act 2011, required that information requested must be a public record and in the custody of the instruction of the organization so requested from.

The presiding judge, thereafter, dismissed the case on the grounds that the evidence before the court has not shown that the EFCC has the record of the forensic analysis of the bribery video allegations.

Justice Egwuatu noted that the report ought to be given to the Kano state House of Assembly ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the matter.