Dollar Videos: Court Fixes New Date To Hear Ganduje’s Suit To Stop Probe

The presiding judge at the Federal High Court in Kano, Justice A.M. Liman, has fixed July 21 for the hearing of the application filed by the former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, which is seeking to stop the investigation into the alleged dollar bribery videos.

Naija News reports that Kano state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) had announced that it had invited Ganduje to appear before it to answer questions in relation to its investigation of the viral videos showing him stuffing US Dollar notes in his pockets allegedly received as kickbacks from a contractor.

Ganduje, however, through his lawyers, filed an application for the “enforcement of his fundamental human rights to a fair hearing, private and family life, and to acquire and own property”.

Pursuant to this application, the court on July 7 granted an ex-parte motion that restrained the PCACC and seven others from inviting or harassing the former governor pending the hearing and determination of the application.

When the case was called on Friday, July 14, counsel to the PCACC, Usman Fari, told the court that the matter was not ripe for hearing because the former governor served the respondents in the suit with the court process on July 10 and based on the rules of the court, the respondents have five working days to file their responses.

Other respondents in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force; Inspector General of Police; Commission of Police, Kano; the State Security Service (SSS); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Attorney General of Federation; and the Attorney General of Kano State, Naija News reports.

With counsels to Ganduje, Attorney General of Kano state, and that of the SSS agreeing with the position of the PCACC counsel, Justice Liman adjourned the matter to July 21 for a hearing.

Meanwhile, one Dr Ahmad Garba KofarWambai, who sought to join the suits as a co-applicant with Ganduje through his lawyer, Ibrahim Baba, has withdrawn his application to join.

His withdrawal followed an observation raised by PCACC lawyer that the ex-parte order issued by the court already covered KofarWambai and all other appointees of the former governor while adding that the generality of the order has even crippled the activities of his clients (PCACC).