Court remands 2 Shari’a Court judges, others for stealing N580.2 million

A Magistrate Court sitting in Kano Thursday remanded two Sharia Court Judges for stealing the sum of N580.2 million public fund.

Others who were remanded alongside the two Sharia Court Judges are, the Cashier, and 16 other financial registrars.

The accused were all remanded in Kano Correctional Centre till when their bail applications would be heard.

The police charged Bashir Kurawa, Saadatu Umar, Tijjani Abdullahi, Maryam Jibrin-Garba, Shamsu Sani, and Hussaina Imam with five counts of criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal breach of trust by a public servant, theft, and forgery.

Others are Sani Ali Muhammad, Sani Buba-Aliyu, Bashir Baffa, Garzali Wada, Hadi Tijjani Mu’azu, Alkasim Abdullahi, Yusuf Abdullahi, Mustapha Bala Ibrahim, Jafar Ahmad, Adamu Balarabe, Aminu Abdulkadir, Abdullahi Zango and Garba Yusuf

Chief Magistrate Mustapha Sa’ad-Datti, ordered the remand of the defendants and adjourned the matter until Feb.1, for hearing

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr. Zahraddeen Kofar-Mata told the court that an official complaint was received by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from the State Ministry of Justice on Aug. 20, 2021.

He alleged that between 2020 and 021, Imam used her position as a cashier at the State Shari’a Court of Appeal, and conspired with four others and one Suleiman now at large, to forge letterhead papers of the Sharia Court of Appeal.

“The defendants forged the signatures of the two signatories to the Stanbic IBTC bank account 0020667440 belonging to the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal and stole N484 million.