By Aminu Kutama
The Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission has accused the suspended chairman of the commission, Barr Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado of firing at a security officer attached to the commission.
Two men from the agency were said to have stormed the house of Rimin-Gado in a tinted blue Honda car with registration number MUS- 402AT in Sharada area of the metropolis around 6:30pm claiming that they had come to effect his arrest.
A source who pleaded for anonymity said that the officials, who were without a warrant of arrest insisted that they were at the house of Rimingado on the order of the acting chairman, Mahmud Balarabe, to bring him (Rimin-Gado) to the commission.
However, the acting chairman of the commission, on Thursday, told newsmen that while on an assignment to effect Muhuyi’s arrest after he had ignored numerous invitations by the commission, the officials met a stiff resistance by the suspended chairman.
“He (Muhiyi Magaji) has been in possession of many office documents since his suspension from the commission, these documents are important to us because they’re linked to some high profile cases and he has been adamant to release them.
“We have for a long time been inviting him to come and explain why he is keeping such sensitive documents in his personal possession, while he has been dodging our requests.
“On Wednesday, we sent some of our officials to arrest and bring him over. On reaching his house, he resisted them and fired a rifle at one of our cars,” the acting chairman alleged.
Mr Mahmud Balarabe added that they won’t be deterred and are very determined to bring Muhuyi Magaji to the commission’s office in order to explain his interest over the cases he is allegedly hiding.
He also accused Muhuyi Magaji of several crimes including diverting clients’ money, land racketeering and carting away exhibit money amounting to $60,000.
“When you are fighting corruption, it will fight back, and this is corruption fighting back,” he added.
However reacting on the matter, Rimin-Gado said it was an attempted kidnap as the said operative of the commission did not have any identity to show that he was from the anti-graft agency.
“There is even an existing court order that restrained the commission from arresting me,” Rimin-Gado said.
SAHELIAN TIMES recalls that in the court order issued by Justice Amina Aliyu, of the state High Court, the suspended chairman was granted an interim injunction restraining the commission’s acting chairman, his agent or any person acting on his instruction to compel or ask the plaintiff, Rimin-Gado, to appear before any panel or arrest pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
