Kano state government has filed seven count charges before a state high court against former Kano State commissioner for local government, Murtala Sule Garo, Mohd Sule Garo, Mustapha Sule Garo, Isah Musa Kera, MJ Multipurpose Services Ltd, A.U Future Investment Ltd and Shoreditch General Resources Ltd bothering on alleged diversion of N2.8bn.
The charges were filed by the Attorney General of Kano State, with the power conferred upon him by section 211 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended) and Section 121(1), 126(b) and 377 of the administration of criminal justice Law, 2019 through his Counsel, Auwal Abdulqadri Sani ESQ.
In the charge sheet, the state government accused the first defendant and others of allegedly diverting local government stabilisation funds and one percent training fund from April 2020 to May 2023.
It reads, FIRST HEAD OF CHARGE, ‘’That you, MURTALA SULE GARO male, adult together with MOHD SULE GARO and MUSTAPHA SULE GARO males, adults, your biological brothers, between the periods of April, 2020 to May 2023, in Kano or thereabout, in the Kano Judicial Division in your capacity as a public servant, to wit, the Commissioner of the Ministry for Local Government, in the service of Kano State government and being charged with the receipt, custody and disbursement of the stabilization funds belonging to the 44 local government areas of Kano State being funds received by the State Ministry for local government for and on behalf of the 44 localgovernments areas of the state credited to Kano State Local Government Stabilization account domicile at Unity Bank PLC Sani Abacha way Branch, Kano with account No.0041134229 amounted to Twenty Six Billion Nine hundred and Seven Million Two Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Fifty Five Naira Ninety Four Kobo [N26,907,272,055.94] fraudulently and dishonestly without reasonable justification in abuse of your office conspired with 2nd and 3rd Defendants [your brothers] and diverted the total sum of One Billion Three Hundred and Eighty Nine Million Nine Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Naira (N1,389,924,999) through the corporate account of MJ MULTIPURPOSE SERVICES LTD [5th Defendant] domicile at Guarantee Trust Bank PLC with account No.0142582063 the monies which you converted for your own personal and private use thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government and People of Kano State and thereby committed an offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to Section 96 andand punishable under Section 97 of The Penal Code [as amended], CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria.
That you, MURTALA SULE GARO male, adult together with MOHD SULE GARO and MUSTAPHA SULE GARO males, adults, your biological brothers, between the periods of April, 2020 to May 2023 or thereabout, in Kano, in the Kano Judicial Division in your capacity as a public servant, to wit, the Commissioner of the Ministry for Local Government, in the service of Kano State government and being charged with the receipt, custody and disbursement of the stabilization funds belonging to the 44 local government areas of Kano State being funds received by the State Ministry for local government for and on behalf of the 44 localgovernments areas of the state credited to Kano State Local Government Stabilization account domicile at Unity Bank PLC Sani Abacha way Branch, Kano with account No.0041134229 amounted to Twenty Six Billion Nine hundred and Seven Million Two Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Fifty Five Naira Ninety Four Kobo [N26,907,272,055.94] fraudulently and dishonestly without reasonable justification in abuse of your office conspired with 2nd and 3rd defendants [your brothers] and diverted the total sum of One Billion Three Hundred and Eighty Nine Million Nine Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Naira [N1,389,924,999] through the corporate account of MJ MULTIPURPOSE SERVICES LTD [5th Defendant] domicile at GTBank No.0142582063 the monies which you later converted for your own use in acquiring movable and immovable properties including a choice apartment at Hilton Suites in MakkahSaudi Arabia, thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government and People of Kano State and thereby committed an offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 315 of The Code [as amended], CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.”
The charge sheet read that “between the periods of April, 2020 to May 2023 or thereabout, in Kano, in the Kano Judicial Division in your capacity as a public servant, to wit, the Commissioner of the Ministry for Local Government, in the service of Kano State government and being charged with the receipt, custody and disbursement of the stabilization funds belonging to the 44 local government areas of Kano State being funds received by the State Ministry for local government for and on behalf of the 44 local governments areas of the state credited toKano State Local Government Stabilization account domicile at Unity Bank PLC Sani Abacha way Branch, Kano No.0041134229 amounted to Twenty Six Billion Nine hundred and Seven Million Two Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Fifty Five Naira Ninety Four Kobo [N26,907,272,055.94] fraudulently and dishonestly without reasonable justification in abuse of your office, diverted the total sum of Four Hundred and Twenty Seven Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Two Thousand Five Hundred Naira [427,752,500] through the corporate account of a company you caused to be formed SHOREDITCH GENERAL RESOURCES LTD [7th Defendant] domicile at FCMB with account No.6501553017 the monies part of which was channeled through the 5th Defendant company account that you later converted in connivance with the 2nd and 3rd defendants [your brothers] to your own personal and private use thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government People of Kano State and thereby committed an offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 315 of The Penal as amended), CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.
That you, MURTALA SULE GARO male, adult together with ISAH MUSA KERA male, adult, one time director recruitment and training of the Ministry for local government, between the periods of June, 2017 to January, 2023 or thereabout, in Kano, in the Kano Judicial Division in your capacity as a public servant, to wit, the Commissioner of the Ministry for Local Government, in the service of Kano State government and being charged with the rec noeipt, custody and management of 1% training funds being control by the Ministry for local government for the benefit of the 44 local government areas of Kano State, received by the State Ministry for local government for and on behalf of the 44 local governments areas of the state credited to Kano State Ministry for Local Government account domicile at Unity Bank PLC Bello Road Branch, Kano with account No.0005165708 amounted to Three Billion
Eight Hundred and Twenty Six Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Naira Eighty Nine Kobo [N3,826,608,770.89] fraudulently and dishonestly without reasonable justification in abuse of your office conspired with the 4th defendant ISAH MUSA KERA [your Subordinate Staff] and diverted the total sum of Three Hundred and One Million Twenty Six Thousand Eight Hundred Naira [N301,026,800] the monies which you conspire and withdrawn in cash in violation ofof extent laws, rules and regulation and vanished for your own personal and private use thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government and People of Kano State and thereby committed an offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of The Penal Code [as amended], CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria.
That you, MURTALA SULE GARO male, adult, between the periods of April, 2020 to May 2023, in Kano or thereabout, in the Kano Judicial Division in your capacity as a public servant, to wit, the Commissioner of the Ministry for Local Government, in the service of Kano State government and being charged with the receipt, custody and disbursement of the stabilization funds belonging to the 44 local government areas of Kano State being funds received by the State Ministry for local government for and on behalf of the 44 local governments areas of the state credited to Kano State Local Government Sterilization account domicile at Unity Bank PLC Sani Abacha way Branch, Kano with account No.0041134229 amounted to Twenty Six Billion Nine hundred and Seven Million Two Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Fifty Five Naira Ninety Four Kobo (N26,907,272,055.94) fraudulently and dishonestly without reasonable justification in abuse of your office diverted the total sum of Hundred and Eighty Nine Million Nine Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Naira (N690,063,500) through the corporate accountof a company solely owned and controlled by your brothers, A.U FUTURE INVESTMENT LTD (6 Defendant domicile at Zenith Bank PLC with Account No.1017680843 the monies that was lat channels to your company MJ MULTIPURPOSE SERVICES LTD (5th Defendant and which you converted for your own personal and private use thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government and People of Kano State and thereby committed an offense using wrongful gain to yourself and wrongful loss to the Government and People of Kano State and
and thereby committed the offense Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and punishable under section of The Penal Code (as amended), CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.”
