The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has apprehended three officials of the Nasarawa Local Government Area and Governor Abba Yusuf’s Senior Special Assistant, Mustapha Maifada, over the alleged diversion of ₦105m.
The arrested officials include the council’s Director of Personnel Management, Treasurer, and Cashier.
Confirming the arrests to Punch on Tuesday morning, PCACC Chairman, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado, said: “Yes, the officials have been arrested and they are with us.”
Sources disclosed that the three local government officials were initially instructed to issue a payment of ₦105,000 for a program
However, instead of following the directive, they reportedly issued a cheque of ₦105m to the governor’s aide in November 2024.
Acting on intelligence from a financial monitoring system, the anti-graft agency launched an investigation into the alleged misappropriation.
“During interrogation, the detained officials claimed the payment was a mistake, but given the time lapse since November 2024 and other available evidence, the commission is not accepting this explanation,” a source disclosed.
Meanwhile, a magistrate court in Kano has ordered the remand of Muktar Dahiru, a journalist working with Pyramid FM Kano, for allegedly posting content on Facebook deemed insulting Governor, Abba Yusuf.
Dahiru, who was arrested on Thursday, faces charges of criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, and intentional insult.
The arrest followed a Facebook post in which Dahiru shared an audio interview featuring an opposition politician accusing Governor Yusuf of corruption.
The politician in the audio called for federal anti-corruption agencies to investigate a scandal involving Novomed Pharmaceuticals, instead of relying on the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCCAC).
The post came amid the Kano anti-corruption agency’s recent arrest of five individuals, including Garba Kwankwaso, a nephew of former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, in connection with an alleged multi-billion-naira drug purchase scam.
Garba, the managing director of Novomed Pharmaceuticals, was accused of violating public procurement laws by conspiring to secure a contract for the supply of drugs to local government areas in the state.
In addition to the Facebook post about the governor, Dahiru was also reported to have shared an audio program in which a person criticized the reinstated Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, accusing him of living an opulent lifestyle while portraying himself as sympathetic to the poor.
According to Premium Times, on Friday, Dahiru was secretly arraigned before Magistrate Court 24 in Gyadi Gyadi, Kano.
The presiding magistrate, Ummah Kurawa, ordered his remand in a correctional facility until the hearing of his bail application, scheduled for September 3.