The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji, has been arrested by the Nigerian police over the seizure of property allegedly linked to Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Magaji was taken into custody on Friday, and it is understood that he is currently detained at the Zone One police headquarters in Kano, with his relatives and lawyer being denied access to him.
A source informed SaharaReporters that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has ordered that Magaji be transferred to Abuja at the Force Headquarters.
The arrest is related to the ongoing trial of Bala Muhammed Inuwa, the former Managing Director of the Kano Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO). Inuwa is being prosecuted for the alleged diversion of over N4 billion in public funds.
The case, which started in November 2023 at the Kano High Court, has seen the court order the seizure of assets connected to the case, including money in banks, until the trial’s conclusion.
In 2024, Inuwa filed a suit before another Kano High Court, seeking the removal of police officers stationed at Limestone Processing Links Ltd., where the confiscated properties were kept. The Kano Anti-Corruption Commission appealed this ruling, arguing that the commission, not the police, should manage the properties involved in the case.
READ ALSO: TikTok Officially Banned in US Over National Security Concerns
According to sources, the arrest stemmed from the commission’s action to prevent the takeover of assets worth over N2 billion, including trucks and minivans, by police officers. The commission had acted under Section 40 of the anti-corruption law, which empowers it to intervene in ongoing legal matters.
Addressing the press two weeks ago, shortly after preventing the move to seize the properties, the commission chairman, Muhuyi Rimingado, stated: “KAROTA personnel were directed to move the items to a state government warehouse in Nasarawa GRA from Kumbotso local government area under section 40 of the anticorruption law, which empowers the commission to act while the matter is in court.”
When Magaji and Inuwa were invited to the Kano Police headquarters, it was claimed that the seized items belonged to former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, leading to tensions regarding the property’s status.
The Nigerian police have not provided official comments on the matter, and efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and the Kano State Command spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna, for a statement were unsuccessful.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
