A Federal High Court in Kano has set a fresh date for the beginning of hearings into the enforcement of former governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje’s fundamental human rights in the issue of alleged dollar stockpiling in a trending video.
The hearing on the lawsuit brought by Ganduje against the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission and seven other parties surrounding his alleged involvement in the $1 video recordings has been set to begin on July 21, 2023, by the court.
Ganduje had previously obtained an interim ex parte order preventing the agency, the Inspector General of Police, the State Security Service, and five other respondents from arresting him in connection with the case. Ganduje had been asked by the state anti-graft agency to respond to questions about the alleged financial scandal.
The court issued a restraining order in case number FHC/KN/CS/195/2023, dated July 7, 2023, and signed by Imoh Bassey, the court’s registrar, prohibiting the anti-graft agency, police, DSS, and other respondents from harassing, intimidating, or arresting Ganduje, his family, and all of his former appointees while the originating motion is being decided.
Justice A. M. Liman was made aware by Ganduje’s attorney, B. Hemba Esq., during the hearing on Friday that the party was prepared to move forward with the originating motion because everyone concerned had been served.
Usman Umar Fari, the attorney for the Kano State Anti-Corruption Agency, told the court that he was not prepared to move forward with the case because he only received his notice on July 11, 2023.
The anti-corruption agency’s legal representative asked for a postponement, claiming that he still had five days left in the legal window in which to file his counter-affidavit.
Isiaya B. Bulus, the attorney for the Department of State Services (DSS), also requested a postponement so he could submit a response.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police’s counsel, the Commissioner for Police in Kano State, the Civil Defence and Security Corps, and others were noticeably absent.
All parties did not object to the case being postponed despite the fact that K. A. Hashim, the attorney representing the Kano State Government, and the attorney general and commissioner for justice, expressed their willingness to move forward with the matter.