A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has dismissed a suit filed before it seeking an order to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over alleged receipt of kickback from a contractor.
It would be recalled that a Kano based Lawyer; Barrister Bulama Bukarti had approached the court seeking for an order to compel the EFCC to launch an investigation into the matter.
Barrister Bukarti wanted the EFCC to provide report of its forensic investigation analysis of the video showing Ganduje receiving dollars from an unknown contractor as a kickback.
However, the court, presided over by Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu, dismissed the case on the grounds that the evidence before the court has not shown that the EFCC has the record of the forensic analysis regarding the bribery video allegations.
The judge averred that the provisions of Freedom of Information Act 2011, required that information requested must be a public record and in the custody of the instruction of organisation so requested from.
“The report ought to be given to the Kano State House of Assembly ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the matter,” he averred.
It would be recalled that the anti-graft agency had stated that it cannot investigate Ganduje because of the immunity clause in the nation’s constitution. State governors, the president and his deputy are shielded from prosecution while in office under the Nigerian law.
In the videos first circulate by Daily Nigerian in October 2018; the Kano State governor was caught on tape receiving wads of dollar notes as kickback from contractors, and stuffing them into his ‘babban riga’ dress pocket.
