N500 inheritance fraud: Kano court rejects Sharia judges’ bail application

A Kano chief magistrate’s court presided by Mustapha Datti on Thursday rejected the bail application of 15 sharia court judges and other judicial workers standing trial for diverting N500 million meant for the orphans.

Those remanded include judges, registrars, and a cashier with the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal, Hussaina Imam.

The accused are standing trial for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, joint act, and criminal breach of trust by public servants, theft and forgery.

During their arraignment on January 19, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges, and their lawyer Nazifi Galadanci moved an application for their bail, which the judge adjourned till February 2 for ruling.

DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the lawyers of the accused mounted pressure on the court to recall the case in order to move an application for their bail due to ill-health.

Ruling on the emergency application, the magistrate rejected the application, saying they did not provide sufficient medical documents to prove that the accused were battling debilitating health condition.

The court therefore stands on the January 2 adjournment date for ruling on the bail application.