The activities of Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, chairman of the Kano state public complaints and anti-corruption commission, have come under scrutiny by two anti-graft organizations since he said the video of the former governor Abdullahi Ganduje allegedly receiving alleged kickbacks — in the form of wads of cash — was not doctored.
Due to the history of hostility between Mr. Ganduje and the chair of the Kano anti-graft committee, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the intense scrutiny is thought to be a witch hunt disguising as an investigation.
In a letter dated August 14 to the Kano anti-corruption commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau stated: “The Code of Conduct Bureau is investigating a case of alleged violation of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers against a staff member of your organization by name Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado.”
The CCB requested Mr. Rimingado’s appointment letter, pay stubs from July 2020 to 2023, and service records.
The animosity between the two men dates back to 2021, when Mr. Ganduje, the state assembly’s then-governor, suspended Mr. Rimingado. Uncertain accusations were made against him, but he was charged with rejecting an accountant who had been sent to the agency.
For his part, Mr. Rimingado asserted that the governor suspended him as a result of his investigation into questionable contracts given to the first family.
Mr. Rimingado was ultimately dismissed by Mr. Ganduje in January 2023, two years after his suspension, a decision that the troubled Kano anti-graft chair successfully appealed in court.
But up until Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was chosen governor following the March elections, Mr. Ganduje persisted in disobeying the court order ordering him to reinstate Mr. Rimingado. The new governor complied with the court’s directive right away and returned Mr. Rimingado to his prior position.
The head of Kano’s anti-corruption agency revealed in May that the widely circulated video of the former governor Ganduje allegedly accepting a bribe by pocketing dollars was real and had not been doctored.
The dollar video, which has been a constant source of shame and embarrassment for Kano state and has damaged the state’s reputation both inside and outside of the country, according to Mr. Rimingado, who describes himself as a passionate anti-corruption advocate, has drawn numerous calls for him to look into it.
Following his reinstatement, the anti-corruption chief quickly discovered millions of state funds that were allegedly misappropriated by Bala Inuwa Muhammad and his family, who were steadfast supporters of Mr. Ganduje, at the Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO).
According to court documents seen by Peoples Gazette, Mr. Inuwa was charged with diverting N3.3 billion from KASCO account to his personal account and his son, Bala Inuwa Muhammad Jr.’s account, “without any justifiable reason.”
Mrs. Halima Bala Inuwa, Najib Lawan Muhammad, and Incorporated Trustees of Association of Compassionate Friends were also recipients of state funds; they are all listed as the third through fifth defendants.
The Kano state government’s filing of the lawsuit is thought to have been ordered by the anti-graft chief, who is now facing pressure from the EFCC and CCB in retaliation for looking into Mr. Ganduje’s allies.
Although Mr. Ganduje, who no longer has governorship immunity, may appear untouchable due to his close relationship with President Bola Tinubu and his chairmanship role in the APC, Kano’s anti-graft agency is determined to remove his corrupt allies, who are seen as low-hanging fruits.
Fears that the agencies are no longer independent and have become pawns and oppressive tools in the hands of whoever is in the presidency are being stoked by the abrupt actions taken by the EFCC and CCB to launch an investigation into Mr. Rimingado just three months after his reinstatement.
