N7.7 Million Scandal: Garun-Gabbas, Ex-Attorney-General Of Jigawa State In Fresh Trouble
Former attorney-general and commissioner of justice in Jigawa State, Sani Hussaini Garun-Gabbas, SAN has been asked to refund the sum of N7, 700,000.00 which he allegedly collected from Jigawa State government to prosecute an appeal at the Nigerian Supreme Court.
A letter of demand to the former commissioner, dated October 22, 2021 and signed by Aliyu Abdullahi, a deputy director, civil litigation at the state ministry of justice, on behalf of the attorney-general and commissioner of justice, requested the Garun-Gabbas refunds the said amount which he allegedly collected in cash to prosecute a criminal appeal at the Supreme Court; an appeal the ministry claimed the learned silk did not pursue.
The letter of demand to Garun-Gabbas, which Nigerian Sketch obtained, partly said the suit he was paid to appeal on actually emanated when he was the chief law officer of Jigawa State, and involved one Idris Iliyasu Danlawan and another who, in Charge No. JDU/60C/2015, were discharged and acquitted on the 31st day of May, 2016 by the Jigawa State High Court sitting in Dutse of the offences of culpable homicide and voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means.
The letter said the former AG appealed to the Kaduna Division of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/K/632/C/2016 but the appeal was dismissed on 14th for failure of the Appellant/State to file its Brief of Argument at the Court’s special sitting presided by Hon. Justice U. M. Abba Aji (as he the was) at Dutse, Jigawa State.
The letter also said Garun-Gabbas, in April 2018, wrote a memo to the state governor requesting for and obtaining the sum of N7, 700, 000.00 to appeal the dismissed case.
He was said to have collected the said approved amount but “despite the receipt of the stated amount, the Ministry is unable to lay its hands on the record of appeal transmitted to the Apex Court as well as the Appellant’s Brief of Argument. The only process we have in the Ministry regarding the purported appeal, is a record of appeal from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court without the Supreme Court Appeal number.”
The senior lawyer has therefore been given seven days notice to refund the amount he collected into the Jigawa State Government’s Account or the justice ministry takes legal action against him to recover the money on behalf of the state.
A Jigawa Government House official said that it was a huge mistake to collect money from “Jigawa State of today” without justifying it. He said Jigawa State governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, is known for intensive prudence when it comes to public fund, and has been nicknamed ‘The Calculator’ because of his persistent insistence on accountability.
