A former Managing Director at Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), Dr. Bala Inuwa, has accused the state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission of confiscating his property in violation of a court order.
Inuwa told newsmen on Wednesday in Kano that the agency took over his property worth billions of naira in contravention of a Kano State High Court order.
Inuwa is facing an ongoing investigation into alleged misappropriation of N4 billion.
According to the Secretary and Legal Adviser to the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Zahraddeen Hamisu Kofar-Mata, “Sometime between August 2022 and April 2023, N4.67 billion was credited to KASCO from the state’s Federal Allocation Account as grants.
“Our investigation found that this sum was diverted into personal accounts – a clear violation of sections 308 and 309 of the Penal Code.”
This is even as the chairman of the anti-graft commission, Mr. Muhyi Gado, however said its action was in order.
He said the order stopped any public officer from taking any actions on the properties, pending the determination of a substantive suit before it.
He said the properties which had various brands of trailers, fertiliser grinding machines and other agricultural implements were taken over by the anti-graft commission.
Inuwa recalled the order related to suit No K/M 1563/2024 before Justice Aisha Ya’u between him and Safiyanu Hamisu.
He said it was issued under the names and style of Limestone Processing Links as Applicants and the Nigeria Police Force and Commissioner of Police as Respondents.
According to him, the court ruled in their favour on a Motion on Notice dated August 19, 2024 together with accompanying affidavit duly sworn to by the first applicant.
In the order, he said, the court decided that the action of the respondents of forceful entry into the 2nd Applicant’s premises at No. 157 Kumbotso Rasha, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State was illegal.
The court also found illegal, the taking way of moveable properties under the guise of taking inventory pursuant to the investigation against Inuwa.
Also, illegal the court said, was confiscating and deploying police officers thereby taking over the premises and denying the applicants access particularly the 2nd applicant from running the factory.
The court ruled in the order that the objective of taking over the properties by the agency was tantamount to illegality, unlawful and unconstitutional.
It said it was a veritable contravention of the applicants’ fundamental right to moveable and immoveable properties guaranteed by Section 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
Inuwa said that the court granted his order directing the respondents to forthwith remove and retrieve the police officers stationed at the premises.
He said when the respondents did not obey the court order he reverted to the court and obtained another order of interim injunction.
He said the order also restrained the respondents and their agents, including the police from any entry, interfering, dealing, occupying or any form of approach to the property.
He said the court further ruled on stay of all actions with the subject matter or matters related thereof pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
When contacted Gado dismissed the allegation of court order violation.
He told newsmen that the orders obtained by Inuwa were obtained in default, and therefore could not stand the test of legal values.
Gado said all the orders restraining him and the commission from carrying out their duties were all on interim basis and elapsed in 2024.
Similarly, he said, some of the orders affected only police officers drafted to the company in question.
“We are using the personnel of the Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) as our enforcement agents.
“We are doing that on the powers vested in us under Sections 58 of the Commission’s laws,” he told newsmen. (NAN)
