‘Superior?’ Ganduje’s wife declines EFCC invitation over bribery allegations by son

Freelanews September 14, 2021

Hafsat Ganduje, the wife of Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, refused to report to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week despite the anti-graft agency’s invitation.

Investigators investigating on accusations of bribery and land fraud brought by her son asked the governor’s wife to answer questions.

Her son Abdualzeez Ganduje, according to the article, accused his mother of bribery and land fraud, as well as abusing family authority for personal gain.

Mrs Ganduje was called to report to the EFCC’s Abuja headquarters last Thursday.

According to individuals acquainted with the issue, Abdulazeez had taken his mother, Hafsat Ganduje, to the EFCC, indicating a pattern of corruptly exploiting family authority for personal gain.

The governor, Mr. Umar Ganduje, has previously been embroiled in a corruption controversy.

Since a series of recordings surfaced in 2018 showing the governor accepting money from a government contractor, he has battled to dispel the public image that he is a corrupt public servant.

According to sources who saw Abdulazeez’s petition, he reported that he was approached by a property developer to help facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano with some hundreds of thousands of US dollars and at least 35 million Naira as “facilitation commission”.

“But three months later, (the property developer) discovered that the plots of land he wanted and had paid the first family for had been allocated to other buyers and he then requested to be refunded,” one source added.

Asked to comment on the matter, a spokesperson for Kano State Government, Mohammed Garba, said, “I am not aware” and, so, he could not comment.

EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, did not comment on the matter when contacted on Monday.

But insiders said Mrs Ganduje could be arrested if she refuses to report for questioning.

Unlike her husband, who by virtue of his office, enjoys immunity from arrest and prosecution, Mrs Ganduje enjoys no such constitutional immunity.