A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has shifted the hearing of the N1 billion fraud case involving the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, to November 24, 2025.
Justice J.J. Malik announced the adjournment on Monday after it emerged that the defendants had not been properly served with court documents.
The judge said the delay was necessary to ensure that all parties are present and duly notified before the trial begins.
The case, filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), also involves the Commission’s Secretary, Anas Muhammed Mustapha, and the Deputy Director of Accounts, Ado Garba.
According to the ICPC, the three officials allegedly conspired between November and December 2024 to launder public funds through suspicious cash transactions.
The charge sheet alleges that KANSIEC, under Malumfashi’s leadership, transferred N1.02 billion from its Unity Bank account to SLM Agro Global Farm—a private company that had no official contract with the commission.
The defendants reportedly told investigators that the money was paid to the company to obtain cash for paying ad-hoc staff hired during the 2024 local government elections in Kano State. They also claimed that the money was later returned to KANSIEC in cash.
During the proceedings, ICPC’s prosecuting counsel, Barrister Enosa Omoghibo, told the court, “The case was slated for arraignment, but the defendants were not in court.”
In response, defence counsel M.A. Magaji (SAN) said his clients had not received the charge sheet or other relevant documents. “Service is fundamental to the court’s jurisdiction,” he argued, “and the lack of it accounted for their absence.”
Barrister Muntari Garba Dandago, KANSIEC’s Commissioner for Legal Affairs, confirmed that the court has now fixed November 24, 2025, as the new date for the matter to proceed.
