Corruption: Ganduje’s Trial Suffers Fresh Adjournment

The highly-watched corruption trial involving former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and seven other defendants has hit another pause, following a fresh adjournment granted Wednesday by a Kano State High Court.

The court pushed the hearing of all pending motions to February 3, 2026, prolonging a case already dogged by repeated delays on procedural grounds.

The case was instituted by the Kano State Government, accusing Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, his son and other co-defendants of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation and fund diversion in an 11-count charge said to involve sums running into billions of naira.

Those standing trial alongside the ex-governor include: Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi, Jibrilla Muhammad, and three corporate defendants, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

At Wednesday’s session, Counsel to the State, Jedidiah Akpata, told the court the prosecution could not proceed, and requested more time to file responses to pending defence motions.

“My Lord, we are not ready to proceed. We seek the leave of the court to move our application for extension of time,” Akpata said.

He explained that the prosecution had two motions before the High Court:

• A motion for extension of time to respond to the defence motion for stay of proceedings dated November 19, 2025 and filed November 20, 2025, and

• Another extension request to respond to the sixth respondent’s preliminary objection, filed on November 25, 2025, from a motion dated November 24 and filed November 25, 2025.

But defence lawyers representing several defendants maintained they were fully prepared to proceed with the hearing.

Counsel to Ganduje’s family, Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, said: “My Lord, we are ready. We are not opposing the prosecution’s motion for extension of time.”

Backing that position, Counsel to the 3rd and 7th defendants, Chief M. N. Duru (SAN), also said, “We are also ready to proceed, My Lord.”

Other defence lawyers, including Counsel to the 5th defendant Abdul Adamu‑Fagge and Counsel to the 6th respondent, Abubakar Ahmad, affirmed they could argue their motions even while separate stay applications were pending before the Court of Appeal.

After hearing submissions, Justice Amina Adamu‑Aliyu granted the prosecution’s extension request and rescheduled the matter for the hearing of all pending motions on February 3, 2026.

The court reaffirmed that the building in question could not remain part of any public fear campaign or rights violations, noting that the state must regularise all statutory documentation first before any action can follow.

The legal back-and-forth has stretched for months, with similar extension of time applications repeatedly cited as the basis for adjournments.

For Kano residents, the question is no longer about posters or press briefings, but about when the court will finally hear arguments without delays.

However, the trial remains a defining moment, reflecting the region’s fight to signal that leadership must measure itself by the lives it protects and the institutions it strengthens.