Court gavel
Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out a high-profile corruption case brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against Prof. Sani Malumfashi, chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC).
Malumfashi, alongside the commission’s Secretary, Mr. Anas Mustapha, and Deputy Director of Accounts, Mr. Ado Garba, had been accused of laundering N1.02 billion during the 2024 local government elections. The charges were contained in a 10-count indictment (FHC/ABJ/210/2025) filed by the anti-graft agency.
However, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik struck out the case, citing lack of diligent prosecution. The ruling followed the defendants’ absence in court, which made it impossible for the matter to proceed to arraignment.
During previous proceedings, the ICPC’s prosecuting counsel, Enosa Omoghibo, admitted that the defendants had not appeared despite the case being scheduled for their plea. Meanwhile, the defense, led by M.A. Magaji, SAN, argued that the defendants were not properly served with court documents—a fundamental requirement for the court to exercise jurisdiction.
“Failure to duly serve the defendants with the charge sheet and other court documents rendered their physical appearance in court impossible,” Magaji told the court.
The judge initially adjourned the matter to November 24 to allow proper service and ensure all parties were present. However, when the case was called again on Monday, the defendants were absent once more, prompting Justice Abdulmalik to strike out the charges.
The development marks a significant procedural setback for the ICPC, which had sought to hold the Kano electoral officials accountable for alleged financial misconduct during the 2024 local elections.
