The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested Hafsat Ganduje who is the wife of Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, over a bribery and land fraud allegation reported against her by her son, Abdulazeez.
According to a report by Premium times, Hafsat was arrested after her failure to honour invitation extended to her by the anti-graft agency weeks ago.
It should be recalled that the governor’s wife had been dragged to the EFCC by her son, Abdulazeez Ganduje, over an act of corruption. The son, according to sources familiar with the matter, has alleged that his mother was corruptly enriching herself using her political influence and access to power, and thus filed a complaint against her with the EFCC.
The anti-graft agency has, in this regards, invited the Kano State firstlady to report to its Abuja Headquarters on September 13, but which she flagrantly disregarded.
Hafsat Ganduje
Sources close to the family revealed that it was at that material time the governor’s wife travelled to UK to attend the graduation ceremony of his another son, which prompted the EFCC to threaten her with arrest.
The EFCC has now made good its threat by arresting Hafsat on Monday evening. She is now being grilled over allegations relating to land fraud and bribery as contained in the petition written by her own son.
According to someone privy to her arrest, “Hafzat Ganduje was arrested on Monday evening and taken to the EFCC’s headquarters for interrogation. She is still there as at 6a.m on Tuesday”
Abdulazeez and Hafsat Ganduje
The source noted that Abdulazeez had written in his petition that a property developer approached his mother to help facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano, paying some hundreds of thousands in US dollars which is equivalent to N35 Million naira or thereabouts to her mother as “facilitation commission.”
However, the source added that “some 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, which the First Lady has refused to do”
This will not be the best of time for the Kano state governor himself as he had also, sometimes in the past, been alleged of collecting kickbacks in dollars from some contractors. He was caught in the act in a viral video that greatly dented his reputation and earned him the nickname “Gandollar”.
But just when he is still struggling to redeem his image and people are beginning to forget about the allegation, another one that centers around bribery and misuse of political power for personal enrichment is now hanging on the neck of his wife.