Alleged N4bn Fraud: Kano anti-corruption commission prevents alleged move of ex KASCO MD to illegally takeover confiscated property

By Suhaib Auwal On Dec 30, 2024

Fraud, Kano anti-corruption commission,KASCO, confiscated property, — Alleged N4bn Fraud: Kano anti-corruption commission prevents alleged move of ex KASCO MD to illegally takeover confiscated property

Kano State Public Complaints and Anticorruption Commission has accused the former Managing Director of Kano Agricultural Supply Company KASCO Bala Muhammad Inuwa of obtaining a court order fraudulently in a frantic move to recover confiscated properties purchased with suspected proceeds of crime in the criminal misappropriation charges levelled against him.

SolaceBase reports that the commission had in November 2023 arraigned the former MD, his son, Bala Muhammad Inuwa junior

and incorporated Trustees of Association of Compassionate Friends over the alleged diversion of 4 billion naira from the account of KASCO to personal accounts.

The charges were filed against them by the office of the state’s Attorney-General, following investigations by the Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC).

The PCACC disclosed that its investigations revealed that the defendants diverted over N4 billion from the account of the state’s agricultural supply company into personal accounts.

The anti-corruption commission alleged in the charges filed on 3 August, that Mr Muhammed and his son, Bala Muhammed (Junior), his organization – the Association of Compassionate Friends – and two others diverted over N4 billion in public funds.

An application dated August 3, 2023, and signed by Assistant Director, Kano State Ministry of Justice, Salisu M. Tahir (ESQ) and Principal State Counsel, Kano State Ministry of Justice, Zaharaddeen Hamisu. Kofar-Mata (ESQ), recalled that: “Sometime in August 2022 to 3rd April 2023 or thereabout

the sum of N4,67,290,742.00 (Four Billion, Sixty Seven Million, Seven Hundred And Forty-Two Naira) only were credited into Kano State Agricultural Supply Company Ltd’s ( KASCO) Account No. 1014477161 domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc and Unity Bank

Account No. 0005195864 from Kano State Federal Allocation Account No. 4968083012 domiciled in FCMB within Kano Judicial Division all in the name of grant, but the former managing director dishonestly misappropriated and converted the whole sum belonging to Kano State Government meant as a grant to the State-owned Company (KASCO) to other accounts including his personal accounts, the act which is an offence under section 308 punishable under section 309 of the Penal Code Law.”

However, on Monday, the commission secretary and legal adviser Zahraddeen Hamisu Kofar Mata told newsmen in Kano that the former MD had filed a frivolous application before Justice Aisha Yau of the state high court who delivered a default judgement against the police.

‘’Surprisingly, we were not sued in the suit, since we are the party that dragged them to court, not the police they sued, ‘’the legal adviser said.

‘’I said the process of obtaining the court judgement was fraudulent as they misled the court’’

He said even the police authorities have similarly appealed the court judgement because they aren’t a party in the suit.

‘’The former MD presented court judgement which they obtained fraudulently because they are fully aware that the properties were attached by the commission and so they filed a case against

the police and obtained a default judgement because of the absence of the police, knowing fully well that the case was not filed by the police,” Kofar Mata said.

Kofar Mata said the commission then applied to be joined in the matter since the ex.MD is facing charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal misappropriation before Justice Hafsat Yahaya of High Court 11.

“We were in the office when we received a call today that they were trying to remove the valuable properties that were attached by the commission and so we rushed to the warehouse where the property are kept and guarded by the police attached to the commission.

‘’Because they knew that the Commissioner of Police and Kano Command are aware of the case, so they now went to zone one, to use the zonal police to execute the judgment and even the

AIG is not even aware that they are using police under the zone to execute this fraudulently obtained judgment after they misled the court,’’ Kofar-Mata noted.

‘’Also due to the fact that the former MD , Bala Muhammad Inuwa is facing criminal charges with others all these properties have been attached and the over N790m left in the three banks have been frozen.’’

‘’Incidentally, they have used the same default judgement to withdraw about N190m out of the money in the bank.’’

The legal adviser explained that the commission had applied for a stay of execution and for the judgement to be set aside noting that the warehouse with about 15 articulated vehicles, excavator,

tractor, Pick up and Minivans, hundreds of bags of cement, chemicals, soybeans, Wheat among others would continue to remain sealed with policemen keeping vigil at the property located in Kumbotso local government area.