Kano: Court Sacks  Anti-Corruption Commission Boss

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Chairman of Kano State Anti-Graft Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado has been sacked from office.

Justice Simon Amobeda of a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, gave the order on Thursday July 25 2024, prior to delivering judgement in a suit  filed against the embattled Boss of the State Anti Corruption Agency by two aggrieved kano citizens Muhammad Garo and Mustapha.

Other defendants in the fundamental rights suit include the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Haruna Dederi, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and three others.

The presiding Judge, also, urged the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, to carry out a comprehensive inquest into the Anti Corruption Chairman’s penchant for disobedience of Court rulings.

Justice Amobeda held that going by an earlier ruling by a Court of competent jurisdiction, Rimin Gado was not supposed to continue in office.

The Source reports that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, had earlier in the year suspended the Kano State anti- graft Agency Chairman from office .

The suspension order was sequel to his arraignment before the CCT, over alleged  corruption, conflict of interest, refusal to submit a written asset declaration document, false declaration of assets and gross abuse of office.

The CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, noted that it will not be right for the Anti Graft Agency’s Chairman to continue to discharge his duties, while his trial is ongoing.

He maintained that the suspension became necessary to prevent any official interference with the trial.

However, Rimin Gado has continued to hold sway at the Kano state Anti Corruption Agency, ignoring the CCT order.

The suspension order was in April 2024, similarly affirmed by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano,which held that by virtue of the CCT order, Rimin Gado can no longer continue to preside over the affairs of the Kano State Anti Corruption Commission.

Consequently, Justice Amobeda, ordered the Kano State Government and the State Attorney General to remove Rimin Gado from office in compliance with the CCT suspension order.

Meanwhile, Justice Amobeda has issued an interlocutory order restraining the Kano State Anti Corruption Commission, security agencies and or their privies from arresting, investigating intimidating, and/ or harassing the applicants in the fundamental rights suit (Garo and Mustapha).

The Court also ordered the defendants to pay the applicants the sum of N10 million as cost for  assassination of character, and bringing of their reputation into disrepute .

The applicants had approached the Court following attempts to arrest them over alleged connivance with a former Kano State top Government Official to misappropriate public funds through their business outfits.