A Kano Chief Magistrate Court has remanded 15 judicial workers, including three Sharia Court judges, over alleged theft of approximately N500 million meant for orphans and other vulnerable groups in Kano State.
The defendants, who include Bashir Ali Kurawa, Saadatu Umar, Tijjani Abdullahi, Maryam Jibrin Garba, Shamsu Sani, and Hussaina Imam, are facing charges of criminal conspiracy, joint act, forgery, and theft.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the defendants allegedly forged letterhead papers and signatures of authorized personnel to siphon N484,067,327.07 from the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal’s Stanbic IBTC bank account.
Additionally, they are accused of creating fake civil servants’ death benefit files and stealing N96,250,000 remitted by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustee.
The defendants pleaded not guilty, and their bail applications were rejected by the court. They were remanded in a correctional centre, with the case adjourned to February 1, 2023, for hearing. ¹