The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, has likened Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign to the decades-long fight by U.S. and Colombian authorities against powerful drug cartels.
Gado revealed that his probe into the alleged looting of billions of naira in Kano State during former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration has exposed him and his family to “ceaseless threats,” culminating in his arrest last Friday by armed security operatives.
The PCACC is currently prosecuting Ganduje over multiple corruption allegations.
Speaking at the public launch of the 19th Edition of the Compendium on 100 High Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria in Lagos, Gado stressed that tackling corruption in Nigeria is as dangerous as confronting armed Colombian drug cartels.
He also drew a link between rising violence and banditry in northern Nigeria and the theft of public funds by corrupt officials, whose policies, he said, create poverty and misery that criminal networks exploit for recruitment.
“Most of the companies involved in public-private partnership projects in Kano were connected to Ganduje,” Gado said, noting that his investigation also uncovered billions of naira in illicit funds related to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), including fraudulent land rents.
Reflecting on his work, he described corrupt politicians as “cancerous ailments that must be surgically removed before Nigeria can reclaim its pride among nations.”
On his arrest, Gado recounted enduring a harrowing 17-hour ordeal, being transported in a vehicle sandwiched between armed policemen. He warned that if armed bandits had targeted the convoy, escape would have been nearly impossible.
“The cases I investigated in Kano involve billions of public funds diverted by officials. They are desperate to kill to retain stolen wealth. They are as dangerous as Colombian drug cartels,” he said.
Gado also criticized the role of law enforcement, alleging that some police officers are being manipulated by “powerful but stupendously corrupt politicians” to obstruct his work. He questioned why the Nigeria Police Force would investigate a judicial process properly initiated under Section 211 of the Constitution, describing it as prejudicial.
“I received authorization from the Attorney General to prosecute offences under Kano State law. Why arrest me for doing my legal duty? Why not arrest the state if they can? The police have no legal or moral basis to intervene in a matter already before the courts,” Gado said.
