Ex-Kano anti-graft chair: Why I was arrested

The immediate past chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhuyi Magaji, has revealed the real reasons behind his arrest by the police.

Daily Trust had reported how heavily armed operatives of the Nigeria Police, who identified themselves as members of the Inspector‑General of Police (IGP) Squad from Abuja, whisked the former anti-corruption commission chairman from his Kano office on Friday.

Speaking to DCL Hausa on Saturday, Rimin Gado confirmed that he was released after spending more than 24 hours in police detention.

According to him, his arrest was linked to his role as the lead prosecution counsel in the multibillion Naira Dala Inland Dry Port case, involving the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and his family.

Rimin Gado said, “You know, since I left office as PCACC Chairman, I returned to active legal practice, and I am the lead counsel in that Dala Inland Dry Port case.

“When I was arrested, I was sandwiched to Abuja under heavy police guard, with two armed officers on both sides of me and three others in the front seat. That was how I was ferried from Kano to Abuja.

“We traveled through the night and only arrived around 3:00 a.m.,” he said.

The lawyer also alleged that he demanded to see the arrest warrant, but the officers declined, saying he could only see it in Abuja.

“So, when we got there, I was served with fresh court charges bordering on malicious charges and defamation. If not in Nigeria, tell me where a suspect standing trial would refuse to defend himself and instead hire police officers to arrest the lead prosecution counsel and accuse him of defamation?” he asked.

He added that the police have released him on bail and instructed him to report back in Abuja on Wednesday, while also surrendering his international passport.

Ganduje, also a former Kano State Governor, alongside his children, are standing court trial over the multibillion-naira Dala Inland Dry Port ownership scandal.

The controversy stemmed from a September investigation that alleged former Governor Ganduje secretly transferred the state’s 20 per cent stake in the Dala Inland Dry Port to private individuals, including his children and aide, before awarding a contract worth over ₦4 billion for project infrastructure.

The Ganduje has not yet publicly responded to the latest developments.

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