Court rules against Kano clerics on N3.5 billion alleged land grabbing case

The Federal High Court has ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can investigate an alleged N3.5 billion land scandal involving some clerics in Kano State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in April how the clerics filed a case before the court in Kano State to bar the EFCC from arresting, harassing, or interrogating them over the case.

Some members of the Incorporated Trustees of Musabaqah Association had petitioned the EFCC, accusing the members of fraudulently selling the land donated by the state government to build the Quranic Recitation Competition headquarters.

The petitioners alleged that the land in a highbrow area of Kano was fraudulently sold to Nata’ala Properties and Investment Company Limited, led by Tijjani Sule-Garo.

They urged the EFCC to investigate the sale and halt further development of the land pending the outcome of the investigation.

The petitioners also asked the anti-corruption agency to prosecute those involved in the sale and return the land for use as originally allocated.

The clerics filed the suit after the EFCC invited them over the petition.

The petitioners alleged that a plot worth N3.5 billion in a prime location like Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, measuring roughly two hectares, was fraudulently sold out by the clerics at just N400 million.

The petitioners identified the accused clerics as Ibrahim Shehu-Maihula, Gwani Yahuza-Danzarga, Aliyu Harazimi, Tijjani Bala-Kalarawi, Sa’idu Muhammad-Koki and Ado Shehu-Maibargo.

The others are Abdu Muhammad-Dutse; Abubakar Aliyu-Darma, Ahmad Tijjani-Yusuf, Tijjani Mailafiya-Sanka, Sabiu Bako and Muhammad Tukur-Gadanya.

The Kano State government in 1995, under former military administrator, late Abdullahi Wase, allocated the 2.5 hectares of land for the establishment of what he called Musabaƙa village – housing a residential block, Tahfiz and training centre, mosque and eatery.

Mr Wase reportedly allotted the said land after the state government received an outrageous bill from the then Musabaƙa committee for an annual Musabaƙa event.

The land was abandoned for almost 23 years until 2022, when the self-appointed committee entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with the Nata’ala investment.

In August 2023, a radio commentary programme, ‘Rigar kaya’, anchored by Yakubu Musa-Fagge, exposed alleged fraud in the PPP arrangement.

In the programme, one of the accused leaders, Mr Gwani-Ɗanzarga, responded that 38 houses were built, of which eight were allocated to the Musabaƙa committee and 30 to the Nataala company.

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However, some of the members disagreed and reported the matter to the EFCC. Mr Gwani-Ɗanzarga and 10 others then rushed to the Federal High Court 1, Kano, and filed a fundamental human rights enforcement case against the EFCC.

The judge dismissed the suit and ruled that the clerics cannot prevent the EFCC from fulfilling its constitutional responsibility.

On Friday, the judge, Musa Shuaibu, ruled in favour of the petitioners and allowed the EFCC to invite the clerics for investigation as mandated by the law.

Also, the judge fined the clerics N250,000 for wasting the court’s and the EFCC’s time and failing to substantiate their assertion accusing the EFCC of harassment and intimidation when they did not even honour the EFCC’s invitation.