UPDATED: Court restrains IGP from arresting Kano anti-corruption boss, Muhuyi Magaji
A Kano High Court presided by Justice Sunusi Ado Ma’aji has granted an interim order restraining the Inspector General of Police and Police Authority from inviting, arresting or harassing the Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Plaintiffs in the suit are the Kano State Attorney General, Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Coruption Commission and Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado.
Also, the defendants are the Nigerian Police Force, Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone One, Kano Commissioner of Police, ASP Ahmed Bello and Bala Muhammad Inuwa.
The order was granted on Monday.
The court restrained the defendants /respondents either by themselves, their agents, officers, privies, representatives and assigns from further inviting, arresting, detaining, harassing, the officers of the 2nd plaintiffs/applicants or doing such act that would be capable of interfering with the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs/applicants right generally, in relation to this suit compelling him to attend to their office in Abuja or any other location in the country.on the 27th January 2025 or any other subsequent dates pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
SolaceBase had reported that on Friday 24th January, 2025 a Team of Operatives from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Team arrived at Kano with the sole mission of arresting and transferring the Chairman Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado to Abuja.
A credible source within the Commission informed our reporter that, an Assistant Superintendent of Police Ahmed M. Bello produced a letter of invitation he signed to the Executive Chairman of the Agency at around 5:30 pm and insisted that he follow him to Zone One along BUK Road immediately.
The lawyers of Mr Rimingado accused the police of denying them access to their client for about 3 hours and was later interrogated on a matter involving an investigation carried out by the Agency and the matter is currently pending before a court over an alleged diversion of about N4,000,000,000.00 (Four Billion Naira) from KASCO in suit No. K/154c/2023.
Mr. Magaji was later released on bail and was asked to report to the police headquarters in Abuja today Monday 27th January 2025 for further interrogation.
He was subsequently released on bail and ordered to report himself before the IGP today in Abuja.
On Monday, in an ex parte application moved before the State High Court, Kano state government through the attorney general sought relief to restrict further invitations, arrests, detentions, and harassment of him and officers of the commission.
The state also urged the court to stop the IGP, AIG, and Police Commissioner from interfering in the commission’s investigation involving the N4 billion and confiscated properties worth N2 billion allegedly linked to the immediate past Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Justice Sanusi Ado Ma’aji, however, granted the reliefs as sought by the plaintiff. The presiding judge further directed Red Star Express Plc., Courier Services, as a special bailiff, to serve the originating process and other subsequent court processes to the IGP at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Area 11, outside the jurisdiction of the court.
Justice Ma’aji also granted an interim injunction asking all parties in the matter to maintain the status quo ante bellum or stay all actions pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice, slated for February 10th, 2025.
Comments are closed.