Vital documents related to the ongoing corruption trial of former Kano State Governor and current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, were reportedly carted away when hoodlums vandalised the Kano State High Court during the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, who disclosed this on Wednesday when he visited the vandalised court premises to assess the extent of the damage also said that the total losses at the court amounted to over N1 billion.
The governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa in a press release, described the attack as a premeditated effort to undermine the judicial process and derail the corruption case against Ganduje.
“It is very unfortunate that enemies of Kano State hired undesirable elements to vandalise one of the historic public buildings with a mission of averting corruption charges against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his family, and aides”, the statement read.
Kano Government had dragged Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat; his Son, Umar Abdullahi, and five others to the court over 8 charges bordering on misappropriation and diversion of funds during his eight-year tenure as governor.
The statement added that the miscreants destroyed virtually all units of the High Court including the office of the state Chief Judge with loss accruing to more than one billion naira through stealing of office equipment, destroying offices, burning cars and other relevant materials crucial to the dispensation of justice.
Governor Yusuf, accompanied by key judiciary officials, including the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Haruna Isah Dederi, and the Chief Registrar of the High Court, Alhaji Abdullahi Ado Bayero, surveyed the extensive damage.
The Governor condemned the violence and urged Kano youths to resist being used as tools of disruption.
He emphasised the importance of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man and vowed to protect it at all costs.
The governor also directed the immediate rehabilitation of the court and the enhancement of security measures to safeguard justice delivery.
Governor Yusuf expressed his condolences to the Chief Judge, Dije Abdu Aboki, and the entire judiciary, encouraging them to remain resolute in their duties despite the setback.
He also called on the public to support the administration’s efforts to restore peace and stability in the state.
