Kano anti-corruption commission uncovers N18 Billion stolen by politicians

The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Bar. Muhuyi Rimingado, announced on Saturday that the commission has uncovered a fraudulent scheme in which N18 billion was siphoned off by politicians in collaboration with civil servants in the state.

Rimingado revealed these findings during a one-day capacity-building workshop organized by the Commission in partnership with the office of the Kano State Head of Civil Service and International IDEA’s ROLAC II Programme. The workshop aimed to educate Kano State Civil Service Directors on anti-corruption practices.

He noted that civil servants were involved in all the corruption cases investigated by the commission, highlighting the necessity of educating them to resist being used by politicians for corrupt activities. According to Rimingado, 90 percent of these corrupt practices occurred through procurement processes manipulated by politicians in collusion with civil servants.

Rimingado emphasized that going forward, the commission will impose penalties on any civil servants found guilty of engaging in corrupt practices.

According to him, “We intend to sensitize the Civil Servant against being used by politicians against the law. They are caught in the middle of corrupt practices. All the ground corrupt practices the agency is investigating in Kano, civil servants are the ingredients and tools in the hands of those elements who operate at a high level.

“Again, 90 per cent of corruption cases are perpetrated through procurement services. When politicians want to steal they use procurement as cover-up.

“So we are here to sensitize them on Anti-Corruption law, public procurement and financial management laws. We are here to detail to them how to deal with the public finances of Kano state and Anti-Corruption laws and other relevant laws that will guide them on their mandates.

“We also have the local government staff here because we have a case where the politicians used local government cashiers’ accounts to siphon public funds. The cashiers volunteered to withdraw the monies, take them to bureau De Change and make returns.

“We want to warn them and caution them about the consequences of corrupt acts. Whoever is found in any case of corruption will be penalized. We are determined to impose the zero tolerance to corruption principle of state government,” the anti-graft agency Chairman, Rimingado stated.

In his remarks, the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf lamented how the immediate past administration looted the state’s treasury dry, saying “They spent all the eight years looting the state’s money”.

Governor Yusuf who was represented by his Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo said the government would not condone corruption while urging the state civil service Directors to shun all forms of corruption and embrace honesty, dedication and selfless services for the development of the state.

Earlier, the Head of Civil Service, Abdullahi Musa to the participants that as directors in the civil service who were entrusted to manage public resources to ensure judicious and effective utilization for the benefit of all, they should serve as good role models to their subordinates and also join hands to stamp out the menace of corruption.