Why we arrested Ganduje’s critic, Muaz Magaji- Police

The Kano State Police Command has explained why policemen arrested a former Kano State commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Muaz Magaji.

Mr Magaji, a fierce critic of the governor, was arrested by the police in Abuja shortly after granting a live interview on Trust TV in Utako.

He was immediately flown to Kano, and spent a night at the command headquarters in Bompai.

Speaking to DAILY NIGERIAN on Friday, the spokesman for the command, Abdullahi Kiyawa, said the police resorted to arrest after refusal to honourably submit himself to police for questioning despite several invitations.

Mr Kiyawa, a superintendent of police, said the police invited him, following a directive of the court to investigate him.

“We are currently investigating charges of defamation of character, intentional insult, injurious falsehood and inciting disturbance against Muaz Magaji,” the police spokesman said.

Investigations by DAILY NIGERIAN revealed that the governor personally instructed his lawyers, Adekunle Taiye Falola & Co. to file a direct complaint against Mr Magaji at a magistrate court in Kano.

Findings further revealed that the complaint was addressed to the presiding magistrate of Court 58, Nomansland, Aminu Gabari.

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A copy of the formal complaint letter read in part: “We are Solicitors to the Executive Governor of Kano State, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (hereinafter referred to as “our client”) and on whose behalf we write to directly complain against Muaz Magaji (hereinafter referred to as “the suspect”) for the commission of the grievous offences of Criminal Defamation of Character, Assault, Intentional Insult with the Intent to Provoke Breach of Peace and Inciting Disturbance and Disaffection contrary to inter-alia the provisions of Sections 114, 264 and 399 of the Penal Code Law in force in Kano State, meted on our client.

“As a foundation to our client’s complaint, we are instructed by our client that the suspect posted a picture portraying our client as an immoral and ungodly man engaged in an extra-marital affair with a strange woman whose face appeared in the said picture. We are instructed by our client that the said picture had been widely circulated by the suspect on several social media platforms, in a brazen attempt to assassinate the character, goodwill, good name and image of our client, the first citizen of Kano State, which he built for several decades in civil service and in frontline politics in Nigeria.”

Sources at the police command said Mr Magaji will be charged to court today.