The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the withdrawal of about 40 policemen providing security and investigation support to the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
This decision follows investigations into multi-billion naira corruption allegations against the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje. The directive was conveyed to the State Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, on Thursday.
A text message circulated to the affected policemen instructed them to report back to the Command headquarters immediately. The message also directed those handling high-profile cases to hand them over promptly. This withdrawal affects officers involved in assisting the commission’s anti-corruption investigations and providing security to its headquarters and other seized properties under investigation.
“This is truly lamentable. The commission is now vulnerable. Our offence is investigating corruption of the national chairman of APC,” lamented a source familiar with the matter. “It is ironic that the same police that withdrew security around the former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, have beefed up security around Ganduje to prevent the commission from arresting him. After that, they now have the temerity to withdraw security from the anti-corruption commission.”
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In response to inquiries, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, remained unresponsive at the time of filing the report. Meanwhile, Abdullahi Ganduje, along with his wife, Hafsat Umar, his son Umar Abdullahi Umar, and five others, face eight-count charges including corruption, misappropriation, and diversion of funds amounting to billions of naira.
According to one of the counts, “Ganduje is accused of corruptly soliciting and receiving the sum of $200,000 as a benefit from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government. Another count alleges that he illegally collected a kickback of $213,000 from individuals and entities involved in Kano State Government contracts.”
“These charges amount to official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No.2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria,” stated the charge sheet.
The withdrawal of security personnel from the anti-corruption commission raises concerns about the integrity and impartiality of ongoing investigations into high-profile corruption cases.