The raging controversy surrounding the alleged award of a suspicious multi-million Naira drugs supply contract by the Kano State Government on Tuesday, August 20, got more messy with the arrest and detention of some principal actors.
The State Anti-Corruption Commission said it has arrested Musa Garba, nephew of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the ALGON Chairman in the State, Abdullahi Ibrahim Bashir, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for illegally awarding the said contract, paying and receiving the contract sum of N402.6 million .
The deal now gone sour was blown open last week by a Kano- based popular skit maker.
However, Governor Abba Yusuf, on Sunday, August 19, 2024 distanced his Government from the questionable drugs supply contract.
In a statement jointly issued by the State Commissioner for Information, Haliru Baba Dantiye, and the Governor’s Media Aide, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa Yusuf directed the State anti-graft Agency to immediately launch an inquest to unravel those behind the shady deal.
But not persuaded by Governor Yusuf’s posture, the opposition All Progressive Congress APC, urged the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to step in and investigate the alleged fraudulent drugs supply contract.
In a statement on Monday, August 19, the state chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Abass, expressed the Party’s lack of confidence in the abilities of the State anti-corruption Commission to carry out an unbiased investigation in a matter that revolves around the family members and cronies of Governor Yusuf-s mentor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso .
The APC lashed the Governor for claiming ignorance of the dubious contract, noting that it is a clear testimony that he is not in control of the affairs of Kano state.
But on Tuesday the State Anti-corruption Agency revealed that the actors so far arrested have confessed to withdrawing and paying over N402 million from the Joint State/ Local Government Account in respect of the deal which was for drugs supply to all the 44 Local Councils of the State .
Out of the amount, a total sum of over N 347 million was contributed by 38 Local Councils before the intervention of the Commission.
The said N402 million was said to have been paid to Novomed Pharmaceuticals, an outfit owned by Musa Garba, Kwankwaso’s nephew for the said drug supply.
As at the time of the inquest, no single drug had been supplied to any of the 44 Local Governments ,by the contracting firm.
The Commission said that the officials and the contractor are being held for flagrantly flouting the public procurement laws and the financial management extant rules of the state .
The Commission insisted that the said contract was awarded and payments made without the expressed approval of the Governor of the State .
The Commission has assured of its readiness to unravel the entire circumstances surrounding the controversial contract, and all those behind it.
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