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The corruption scandal rocking Kano State has deepened as the Commissioner for Community and Rural Development, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, has reportedly confessed to authorising a N1.17 billion payment for a non-existent contract while serving as the state’s Accountant General, Premium Times reports. According to investigators, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam made the admission during interrogation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which is probing a suspected N6.5 billion fraud and money laundering scheme. Documents obtained by Premium Times revealed that in November 2023, the commissioner approved the questionable payment in collusion with the Director-General of Protocol to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Abdullahi Rogo. The deal was allegedly facilitated using forged “letters of authority” in the names of A.Y. Mai Kifi Oil and Gas Ltd. and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd. However, the managing directors of both firms later denied knowledge of the contracts, saying they signed the documents at the instruction of the former Accountant General. Read Also: Kano’s Political Probe: Ganduje’s Legacy Versus NNPP’s Scandals Investigators disclosed that on November 9, 2023, the N1.17 billion was withdrawn directly from Kano State’s Federation Account Allocation and channelled to bureau de change operators, Gali Muhammad of Kazo Nazo and Nasiru Adamu of Namu Nakune. Muhammad was said to have handed $1 million in cash to Mr Rogo at the Kano Liaison Office in Asokoro, Abuja. Although Abdulsalam admitted authorising the payment, he reportedly failed to justify why the funds were routed through bureau de change firms. He also declined to respond to calls and messages seeking clarification. The ICPC confirmed that it has so far recovered N1.1 billion of the diverted sum. Broader investigations into the N6.5 billion scandal are ongoing, with officials saying Rogo is believed to have masterminded the scheme by funnelling public resources through front companies, bureau de change operators, and private accounts. About N1.3 billion linked to him has already been recovered. Despite mounting evidence, the Kano State Government has continued to dismiss reports of the scandal as politically motivated. It insists that all financial transactions under Governor Yusuf’s administration were duly budgeted and documented, denying that state funds were diverted for personal use.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is investigating a suspected N6.5 billion fraud and money laundering scheme linked to Kano State officials. Investigators said a N1.17 billion payment served as the foundation of the alleged scheme, with Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, Commissioner for Community and Rural Development, accused of conspiring with Abdullahi Rogo, Director-General of Protocol to Governor Abba Yusuf, to divert funds through bureau de change (BDC) operators. Read Also: Kano CSOs Protest, Demand Accountability Over Alleged N6.5bn Fraud According to ICPC documents, Mr Abdulsalam authorised the payments using fabricated “letters of authority” purportedly issued by A.Y. Mai Kifi Oil and Gas Ltd. and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd. The managing directors of both firms later disowned the contracts, telling investigators they had signed the documents under the instruction of the former accountant-general. Although Mr Abdulsalam admitted authorising the payments, investigators said he could not explain why the funds were routed through BDC operators. He did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment. Witness statements reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES indicate that on November 9, 2023, N1.17 billion was withdrawn from Kano State’s Federation Account Allocation and transferred to BDC operators Gali Muhammad and Nasiru Adamu, managing directors of Kazo Nazo and Namu Nakune. Mr Muhammad allegedly delivered $1 million in cash to Mr Rogo at the Kano Liaison Office in Asokoro, Abuja. The ICPC said the evidence shows that Mr Abdulsalam and Mr Rogo colluded to launder public funds through the currency market. So far, N1.1 billion of the diverted money has been recovered into the commission’s account.

The Forum of Kano Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Against Corruption yesterday staged a solidarity walk in Kano to protest the alleged diversion of N6.5 billion by the Director General of Protocol in the Kano State Government, Abdullahi Rogo, alongside other scandals under the present administration. The protest was aimed at showing support for anti-graft agencies and demanding justice, accountability and transparency in the management of public resources. The CSOs said corruption has betrayed public trust, siphoned billions of naira and left the people of Kano in worsening poverty. They accused the state government of engaging in propaganda and denial to downplay the scandal despite evidence from investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Read Also: Police Probe Kano ALGON Chair Over Factory Assault Allegations According to the group, the ICPC had already recovered N1.2 billion of the diverted funds, while the EFCC and ICPC continued probing. They also listed other alleged scandals, including diversion of federal government palliatives into private warehouses, the Novomed drug contract in which billions were paid but no drugs delivered, mismanagement of agricultural funds under the ACRESAL project, diversion of women’s N50,000 cash support scheme, inflated metropolitan road contracts and the hoarding and rebranding of food relief items. The CSOs argued that if the N6.5 billion was properly utilised, it could have provided clean water to communities, rehabilitated schools, funded WAEC, NECO and JAMB exams, reopened technical colleges, built and equipped hospitals, upgraded roads and enhanced security infrastructure across the state. They called on the EFCC and ICPC to remain resolute and pursue the cases without fear or favour, urged the Kano State House of Assembly to set up a committee to investigate the scandals and asked the judiciary to resist compromise in handling corruption cases. They also condemned harassment of journalists and civil society groups by the state government. The forum urged Kano residents to rise beyond political differences and join the fight against corruption, stressing that the resources of the state must serve the people, not a few individuals.

The Kano State Police Command has launched an investigation into the Chairperson of Tudun Wada Local Government Council and Kano ALGON chair, Sa’adatu Salisu, over allegations that she led thugs to attack workers at a factory and ordered her police orderly to open fire. The case was reported by Tasarrufi General Enterprise, whose staff alleged that on Thursday, August 28, Salisu stormed their facility with more than 200 thugs armed with weapons, leaving several workers injured. Police spokesman Abdullahi Kiyawa confirmed that a formal complaint had been filed and that both Salisu and her orderly had been summoned. Read Also: Kano Assembly to Probe ALGON Chair Over Alleged Farmland Seizure in Tudun Wada “All the witnesses and the suspect have been invited. The orderly to the ALGON chairperson has also been recalled to the command to give account of the matter,” Kiyawa said. Factory manager Suyudi Umar alleged that the council boss had earlier confronted him and a road project engineer, insisting that the factory be relocated despite confirmation it was not affected by the road construction. “This is the fourth time Sa’adatu has come to my factory. I was shocked that as a leader, she could lead thugs to attack my staff. That is why I reported the matter to the police to seek justice,” Umar said. The investigation is ongoing.