Why Kano anti-graft agency recommends Emir Sanusi’s suspension

TRACKING >>The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has recommended the suspension of the Emir of Kano , Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi, over alleged misappropriation of N3.4bn by the Kano Emirate Council.

The commission, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, said during its investigation, it discovered that N3.4bn was allegedly misappropriated by the Kano Emirate Council between 2014 and 2017.

The preliminary report of investigation conducted by the commission was signed by its Chairman, Muhuyi Magaji.

According to NAN, the investigation followed a petition against the council.

The commission alleged that the council spent over N1.4bn on items believed to be fraudulent and “unappropriated”.

The report also alleged that the council spent over N1.9bn unappropriated on seemingly personal things.

It said the expenditure contravened the provisions of Section 120 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 8 of the Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004.

It added that the expenditure had also violated Section 314 of Penal Code as well as provisions of Section 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended).

The commission recommended that the “principal suspect in the person of Muhammad Sanusi II and all other suspects connected with the case be suspended, pending the final outcome of the investigations”.

It added, “This is a necessary administrative disciplinary action aimed at preventing the suspects from further interfering with the commission’s investigations.

“The commission further recommends that the contract awarded to Tri-C Nigeria Limited for the renovation of Babban Daki, Kofar Kudu and Gidan Sarki Dorayi should be revoked.”

The commission added, “During the course of the commission’s investigations, expenditure that was incurred without following due process or appears to be suspicious was uncovered. Huge sums of money were transferred to some banks accounts which were claimed to be companies’ accounts.

“However, the companies appear to be either unregistered with the Corporate Affairs Commission or dormant that cannot appear in the public search of the companies register. Investigations also shows that those unregistered companies are linked to some of the identified suspects in the emirate council. Investigation will later reveal the beneficial owners of those entities.”

It also recommended that further legal action should be taken against all the suspects as soon as the final outcome of the investigations were concluded and legal advice issued.

As of the time of filing this report, the council had yet to react to the allegations of misappropriation of funds levelled against it by the commission.

But a Kano lawyer and activist, Abdulsalam Yusuf, said, “What happened was that some interested people petitioned the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, alleging misappropriation of funds to the tune of N2.4bn at the Kano Emirate Council.’’

According to him, the agency feels duty-bound to “investigate the emir, who is the custodian of the emirate’s funds”.

However, a Kano civil rights activist, Mr Ibrahim Maryam, contended that the said money was the actual money inherited by Sanusi.

Maryam said the commission should first investigate how much the late Emir Ado Bayero left behind and how much was paid as his royalties, including additional salary increment for emirate staff.

The activist called for an independent body to investigate the allegations rather than the state-owned anti-corruption agency.