Muhuyi Rimingado, the Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), has claimed that a suspect under investigation by his commission orchestrated his recent arrest through police intervention. He voiced this assertion while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, emphasizing that his apprehension was intricately tied to his role as the head of the anti-corruption agency.
Rimingado stated that such developments were not unexpected, characterizing them as manifestations of the adage, “When you combat corruption, it retaliates vigorously. While the pursuit of anti-corruption is impartial, corruption’s counterattack is relentlessly unscrupulous.”
Delving into the specifics of his arrest, Rimingado revealed that the episode stemmed from an ongoing probe into alleged financial misappropriation involving a former Managing Director of the Kano Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO).
“In the course of our investigation,” he explained, “we uncovered evidence indicating the embezzlement of approximately N4 billion of Kano State Government funds. This was accomplished through a network of entities orchestrated by a particular public official.
“Following due process and in line with legal stipulations under Section 40 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission law, we acted decisively. We confiscated the implicated properties and proceeded to arraign the accused before the court.
“Subsequent to the legal proceedings and the detention of the suspect, attempts were made to recover the exhibits tied to the offense—a move that blatantly contravenes established legal protocols. Recognizing the risk of tampering, we relocated the evidence to a secure location to preserve its integrity pending judicial resolution. This appears to have provoked their reaction.”
Rimingado further alleged that, frustrated by the judicial process and anticipating an unfavorable outcome, the suspect resorted to involving law enforcement to secure his arrest.
“The policemen who executed the arrest accused me of overstepping authority, indulging in mischief, and trespassing. However, I countered these allegations, emphasizing that the commission is statutorily mandated to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption.”
He also noted that the deployment of federal agencies to target his person reflected a coordinated effort to undermine his anti-corruption campaign.
At the time of this report, the police authorities had yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.
