Former commissioner in Kano state, Engineer Idris Wada Saleh has been arrested over an alleged N1 billion fraud.
Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) confirmed the arrest on Tuesday at a press conference.
The anti-graft boss said its preliminary investigation has monumental fraud to the tune N1billion in the guise of repairing some metropolitan roads a few weeks before the end of the past administration.
He said the ex-commissioner, who was also Managing Director, of Kano Road Maintenance Agency (KARMA) was arrested alongside the Permanent Secretary of, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mustapha Madaki Huguma as well as the director of finance, director of research and planning of the Bureau late Monday.
Rimingado said the money in question was withdrawn in three tranches, paid into the account of three companies on April 25th, stressing that the civil servants arrested in connection with the fraud have allegedly said the ex-commissioner mounted pressure on them to approve the release of the funds without following due process.
“The Due Process office said the certificate of no objection was issued because Kano Road Maintenance Agency said the rehabilitation of the roads would be carried out through direct labor but the papers submitted read otherwise,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Kano has ordered that the former commissioner be remanded in the custody of the anti-graft Commission for 12 days pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The former commissioner is facing a two-count charge bordering on false information and cheating.
The prosecutor, Salisu Tahir, an Assistant Director at PCACC, told the court that sometime in 2023 the defendant released the sum of N1 billion to Arafat Construction Company, No Stone Construction Company, and Multi Resources to rehabilitate 30 roads in the metropolis that were not carried out.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defense counsel, Mustapha Idris, urged the court to grant the defendant bail under sections 35(6) and 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
But the ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Tijjani Sale-Minjibir, ordered the remand of the defendant in PCACC custody for 12 days and adjourned the matter until July 14 for ruling on the bail application.
In another development, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has officially launched an investigation into the alleged bribery videos against former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
The governor has vehemently denied the controversial videos allegedly showing him stuffing the pocket of his free-flowing dress with wads of US dollar bills allegedly received as kickbacks from contractors.
Rimingado said the commission is currently analyzing the forensic reports on the videos.
“We have formally reopened the investigation and we have made several inroads. There is no extant court order barring us from the steps we are taking, which is an investigation contrary to what some people want the public to believe”.
“The commission has written a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to seek partnership in the investigation and possible prosecution of the former governor and while it has not received any feedback from the EFCC, the state anti-graft commission will continue with its investigation and welcome the EFCC and other investigating agencies should they decide to collaborate with it,” he said.
