Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s arraignment was stalled on Wednesday because the Kano government was unable to serve him with court papers.

Mr Ganduje, alongside his wife, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited, were to be arraigned on eight counts of bribery allegations, misappropriation and division of public funds running into billions of naira against the defendants.

When the case was mentioned for arraignment, the prosecution counsel, Y.A. Adamu, told the court that all attempts to serve the respondents had failed.

“My lord, we were only able to serve the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor attempted to move an ex parte motion application seeking to serve the respondents through substituted means.

Counsel to the sixth defendant, Nureini Jimoh, told the court that the prosecution did not personally serve his client.

“There is no provision for ex parte motion in a criminal matter. It is only valid in civil cases,” Mr Jimoh pointed out.

He objected to the motion ex parte by the prosecutor seeking to serve the respondents through substituted means.

Justice Usman Na’abba said that the respondents should be put on notice and adjourned the matter until April 29 for a hearing on the motion on notice.

The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth respondents were absent in court.

(NAN)