Weeks After Reopening Ganduje Dollar Video Probe, Kano Anti-corruption Boss Gets EFCC, CCB Invitations (DETAILS)

Weeks After Reopening Ganduje Dollar Video Probe, Kano Anti-corruption Boss Gets EFCC, CCB Invitations (DETAILS)

The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimingado, has been summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for an inquiry into the financial affairs of his commission.

Recently, Mr. Rimingado conducted a thorough analysis of videos allegedly showing the former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, receiving a significant amount of dollars as a potential bribe.

Mr. Ganduje had secured a temporary order preventing the anti-corruption agency from investigating him, his family, or his political associates.

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In what seems to be a retaliatory move, both the EFCC and CCB have simultaneously initiated investigations into Mr. Rimingado’s activities within the commission.

Dated August 8, 2023, the EFCC’s letter states: “The Commission is currently pursuing an investigation that necessitates seeking certain clarifications from your office. In light of this, we kindly request the Director of Finance and Accounts to attend an interview with the undersigned through the Team Leader AFF/TC. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 29, 2023, at 10:00 AM, at Plot 301/302 Institution and Research District Jabi, along Airport Road, Abuja. Please bring along the following information:

1. Comprehensive details of funds disbursed to your office by the Kano State Accountant General’s Office for the fiscal years 2019 to 2021.
2. Detailed information about funds disbursed to your office by the Kano State Ministry of Local Government from 2019 to 2021. This should also include records of executed contracts and beneficiary account information.”

The CCB, in a letter dated August 16, 2023, is requesting Mr. Rimingado to provide records concerning the recovery, forfeiture, and management of the commission’s finances since 2016.

The letter reads: “Pursuant to the authority and jurisdiction of the Bureau as outlined in the 3rd Schedule, Part 1, paragraph 3(e) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the Code of Conduct Bureau is currently investigating alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers involving certain personnel within your organization. Consequently, we kindly ask you to provide certified True Copies (CTC) of detailed information on the following:

1. All contracts entered into by the Commission between 2016 and the present date.
2. Comprehensive records of recoveries, forfeitures, and their management from 2016 to date.
3. Documentation regarding all financial allocations to the Commission, including funds from donor agencies, from 2016 to the present.
4. Status update on all properties owned by the Commission throughout the state’s local government areas.”

The Kano State anti-corruption agency recently launched multiple investigations into the tenure of Mr. Ganduje, including an alleged embezzlement of N4 billion from KASCO and the retrieval of heavy-duty vehicles and other government assets. The agency also uncovered 543 plots of land at Kano Dry Port, Zawachiki, with an estimated value of around N5 billion. These plots were purportedly misappropriated by the former governor through a company linked to his family named Lamash Properties Limited.

Lamash Properties Limited had acquired various Kano State Government properties, such as Daula Hotel and Triumph Publishing Company, through questionable Public Private Partnership deals that were believed to be disadvantageous to the state.

A reliable internal source familiar with the commission’s investigations disclosed that substantial amounts of money were allegedly funneled through the bank accounts of certain domestic staff members of the former governor.

Mr. Rimingado is also pursuing a probe into an alleged N100 billion fraud, a portion of which is believed to have been used by Mr. Ganduje to purchase the state-owned Kano Cotton Ginnery via his family’s company, Lasage General Enterprise LTD.

Sources indicate that the state-owned cotton ginning company, located in Chalawa, was assessed at approximately N2 billion but was sold to the private enterprise for a sum of N320 million, paid in cash.