Nigerian governor in viral video allegedly taking dollar bribes
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, governor of Nigeria’s north central Kano state has threatened legal action against a publisher, Daily Nigerian, for reporting that he has taken five million dollar bribe.
A viral video by the Daily Nigerian portal has been circulating on social media in which Ganduje is seen allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes supposedly from businessmen.
The governor was alleged to personally receive from 15 to 25% kickbacks for every project executed in the state, reports said in part. Several other media outlets have been reporting on the story.
After a flat denial of the allegations and threats to sue, a second video has since been released with voices of the governor and the contractors clearly being heard. The initial video only had a sound track in the background raising doubts over its authenticity.
In the second video, Ganduje is impressed upon by the contractors to quickly tuck away the monies into his pocket to avoid someone entering the room and seeing the transaction.
“This too, if you check you will get five (bundles), they are better in your pocket, unless you want to separate them,” the person is heard telling him in the Hausa language.
The Kano State government’s spokesperson on Monday posted a video clip on Twitter branding the reports as fake. Among others, the video questions different instances; the camera timing, the outfit Ganduje was wearing and some props in the room the said bribe was received.
