A Magistrate Court sitting in Kano has remanded a factional Qadiriyya leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Isa Makwarari, at the Kano Custodial Centre for failing to meet the bail conditions granted to him over alleged possession of forged land documents.
The defendant was arraigned before Magistrate Court No. 53, sitting at Normansland, Kano, on charges of illegal possession of suspected forged land documents.
Makwarari was accused of being in possession of two land documents allegedly forged in the names of Alƙasim Usman Baba and Audu Danyaro Fagge, in connection with a disputed plot of land located along Ahmadu Bello Way in Kano.
Court records showed that the case followed a petition by the Kano State Ministry of Lands, after which the court, on October 7, 2025, ordered the police to investigate the matter.
During the investigation, the defendant was allegedly found in possession of the disputed documents but failed to satisfactorily explain their authenticity.
He pleaded not guilty when the charge was read.
His counsel, A. T. Shehu, applied for bail, assuring the court that the defendant would make himself available for trial.
However, the prosecution counsel, Nura A. Salisu, opposed the application, arguing that Makwarari had been evading police invitations since October 2025 and was only arrested following a court order. He urged the court to impose stringent bail conditions.
In his ruling, the magistrate granted Makwarari bail in the sum of ₦20m with two sureties and the submission of his international passport. The court ordered that one surety must be a district head from any local government area, backed by an official letter from the relevant emirate council, while the second surety must be a Kano-based businessman with verifiable property.
The court further directed that both sureties submit passport photographs.
However, it was gathered that the defendant failed to meet the bail conditions, leading to his remand at the Kano Custodial Centre.
The case was adjourned to February 12, 2026, for hearing.
Makwarari was earlier arraigned on January 20, 2026, over alleged illegal dealings in government and community lands, but his counsel had sought an adjournment, citing a similar matter pending before a higher court.
