Alleged N1b Fraud: Court remands Ganduje’s commissioner

By Muhammad Bashir

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Kano has remanded former Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Idris Wada Saleh under immediate past governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for 12 days in custody of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anticorruption Commission over alleged N1 billion road project scandal.

The court presided over by Chief Magistrate Tijjani Saleh Minjibir on Tuesday ordered the remand of Engr. Saleh who doubles as Managing Director, Kano Road and Maintenance Agency, KARMA following his arrest and arraignment by the commission.

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel and Secretary, Legal Adviser of the commission, Salisu Tahir told the court that it has filed an exparte application praying the court to remand the defendant in it custody for 14 days to enable it carry out further investigation and file a formal charge noting that the defendant has a case to answer regarding the N1 billion road project and belonging to the state government.

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SOLACEBASE reports that Tahir said attached to the application were six exhibits which include payment vouchers of the three companies and also a final address dated 4th July, 2023 while urging the court to consider and grant it request.

In response, the Counsel to the Defendant, Mustapha Idris told the court that although the application by the prosecution was exparte, but it also has a bail application and that which the prosecution counsel objected to.

Delivering his ruling, the presiding judge granted remand of 12 days instead of 14 days requested by the commission and directed that the defendant be put under good condition in the commission’s custody.

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Chief Magistrate Minjibir however adjourned the matter till 14th July, 2023 for ruling on the bail application.

Earlier, when the First Information Report, FIR was read to him, Engr. Saleh pleaded not guilty.

He was arraigned on offences bothering on false statement and return under section 26 of the Public Complaint and Anticorruption law 2008 as amended in 2010 and alleged cheating under section 322 of the penal code.

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It could be recalled that Engr. Saleh was on Monday evening arrested by the commission alongside four others over alleged fraud of the sum of N1 billion for the repairs of 30 roads within the state.