Kano: Ganduje-era investigations triggered threats to my life — Ex- Kano anti-graft boss

Former Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Barr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado says the fight against corruption in Nigeria has become as dangerous as confronting Colombia’s notorious armed drug cartels.

Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday at the public presentation of the 19th edition of the Compendium on 100 High-Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria, Rimin Gado warned that corrupt networks in Nigeria operate with the same level of ruthlessness and desperation associated with infamous Colombian cartels such as the Medellín and Cali groups.

SolaceBase reports that the event was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) in partnership with local and international organisations to mark this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day, themed Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.

According to him, corruption in Nigeria has fuelled widespread poverty, violent crimes, and banditry—conditions that allow criminal gangs to recruit easily.

“The increase in violence and banditry in the North is partly linked to the naked abuse of public funds by corrupt officials whose self-serving policies create human misery,” he said.

Rimin Gado, who served as PCACC chairman before his removal under the previous administration, recalled that his troubles began when he initiated investigations into several corruption petitions, some of which involved companies he later found to be linked to former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

He said the inquiries uncovered billions of naira in alleged illicit dealings involving the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), including fraudulent land-related payments and questionable public-private partnership projects.

The former anti-corruption chief said corrupt politicians behave “like a cancerous ailment” that must be removed through painful but necessary reforms if Nigeria is to reclaim its reputation globally.

Read Also: Missing N4bn : Kano antigraft agency arrests ex-KASCO MD, son

He urged Nigerians to use democratic processes to vote out leaders who have “sold the people’s birthrights.”

Rimin Gado also recounted his recent ordeal, describing how the Nigerian Police Force, under the auspices of the IGP squad, arrested him in Kano and transported him to Abuja at night.

He said he and his family were subjected to severe distress for hours while he was detained.

“They bundled me into a vehicle and sandwiched me between armed policemen. If criminals had attacked the convoy, survival would have been uncertain,” he said.

Muhuyi, who is presently prosecuting some of the graft cases as a private lawyer, alleged that some police officers are being deployed against him by powerful politicians determined to silence investigations into alleged large-scale looting.

He questioned the legality of probing him over cases already before the courts.

“Why arrest me for performing a duty for which I was given legal authorization? If they can, why not arrest the state?” he asked.

Rimin Gado noted that corruption cannot be effectively tackled when law enforcement institutions are compromised by political interests.

“Some of these politicians are as desperate and dangerous as drug lords. They are prepared to destroy anything to protect stolen wealth,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address titled Youth as Catalyst of Integrity: Building a Corruption-Free Future for Nigeria, he urged young Nigerians to champion accountability and reject corrupt leadership.

Rimin Gado concluded that Nigeria’s progress will remain hindered until corrupt actors lose their grip on the nation’s political and economic systems.