Kano Govt Drags Ganduje, Children To Court Over ₦4bn Dry Port Stake
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Kano State Government has dragged former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and three of his children to court over the ownership of a 20 per cent equity in Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
In a suit filed before the Kano State High Court, the government is contending that the 20 per cent equity of the state was covertly reallocated by Ganduje into private ownership, including his children.
According to the government, it has spent over ₦4 billion in state-funded contracts for the port’s infrastructure.
The government argued that Ganduje’s action as governor not only stripped the state of its rightful stake, but also paved the way for his three children and a longtime associate, Abubakar Bawuro, to become directors and shareholders of the company.
Ganduje was governed Kano between 2015 and 2023.
He is expected to appear in court on 19 November, alongside his three children and Bawuro, to face a 10-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, and conflict of interest.
Also charged along with them are a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, and Ganduje’s family lawyer, Adamu Aliyu-Sanda.
The state government alleged that the defendants jointly transferred 80 per cent of the company’s shares—including the state’s 20 per cent—into private hands under a shell firm known as City Green Enterprise to conceal the true beneficiaries.
Prosecutors say over ₦4.49 billion in public funds was diverted to finance infrastructure at the dry port—such as a double carriageway, electrification and perimeter fencing—for private gain.
They also face charges of abuse of office and conflict of interest for allegedly exploiting their official positions to reallocate public resources to personal and family interests.
The government has lined up key witnesses, including officials who allegedly signed documents under pressure to effect the transfers.
Company records obtained by The Syndicate reveal that Dala Inland Dry Port Limited was incorporated on 8 December 2003, with only its founder, Ahmad Rabiu, and his son, Rabiu Ahmad Rabiu, as directors.
At an extraordinary general meeting on 19 January 2005, four more directors were added: Abdulaziz Haladu, Anwar Isyaku-Rabiu, Diepreye George, and Abdullahi Kwaru.
But minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 5 March 2020 show that Ganduje’s children—Abdulaziz Abdullahi Umar, Umar Abdullahi Umar, and Muhammad Abdullahi Umar—alongside Abubakar Bawuro, replaced Mr Rabiu’s son and the 2005 board members.
It was at the same meeting that the state government was removed as a shareholder, and the Ganduje children were each allotted five million shares, representing 20 per cent apiece.
Mr Rabiu and Mr Bawuro also received 20 per cent each, creating a five-way ownership split—effectively shutting out the Kano State Government.
Legal analysts maintain that due process was ignored in the divestment, arguing that Ganduje allegedly used his office to strip the state of public assets under the guise of corporate restructuring.
