EMIR SANUSI SUMMONED BY KANO ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY OVER ALLEGED N2.2b LAND SCAM

Investigation Triggered by Whistle-blowers

The Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammad Sanusi II, has been invited by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission over a fresh allegation of N2.2 billion land scam.

He is to appear before the commission on Thursday to be probed over alleged violation of the provisions of Sections 22, 23 and 26 of the Commission. This was made known in the invitation letter, dated March 2, 2020, signed by the commission’s Executive Chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado,

“This Commission is investigating an alleged violation of the provision of Sections 22, 23 and 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) in the management of land reserved as ‘GANDUN SARKI’ spread all over the state.”

Usman Bello, the commission’s Director of Special Assignment/Communication Adviser, disclosed that the investigation was triggered by some whistle blowers and added that Section 31 of the law establishing the commission empowered it to initiate such investigation and ordered any invitee to appear before it to defend him/herself in the face of any allegation.

In the course of investigation, the commission discovered that a company, Country Wide House Limited, served as a corporate vehicle to allegedly launder N520 million as proceeds of 20 hectares of land at Darmanawa II. According to him, the land in question, which was under formally Right of Occupancy CON-RES-2016-503, was illegally sold to Messrs Family Home Fund Limited at the alleged instance of the Emir of Kano (Sanusi ll).

Investigations also revealed that all the alleged illegal transactions for the sale of the landed properties at Darmanawa, Hotoro and Bubbugaje belonging to the Emirate was done by the trio of Shehu Muhammad Dankadai (Sarkin Shanu), Sarki Abdullahi Ibrahim (Makaman Kano) and Mustapha Kawu Yahaya (Dan Isan Lapai).

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The spokesman explained that the trio were invited in the spirit of fair hearing and they visited the commission on several occasions to provide useful information. According to Bello, “Investigation further revealed that some of the proceeds of the sales remitted to the Emirate Council Bank Account can be traced to the companies of interest by His Highness.”

The Emir was also alleged to have ordered for the payment of N175 million to Messrs Apple Integrated Resources as facilitation fee for the agreement of provision for side and services at Darmanawa 33.4 Hectares by Messrs City Scape Limited, which was against the decision of the Emirate Council of June 8, 2016.

“A (2016) fourth meeting, which rejected such move of payment to the company, which now investigation confirmed that has never participated in any dealing with the City Scape arrangement with Ado Bayero Royal City Trust Fund,” he said.

According to him, some senior councillors in the Emirate cooperated with the commission and facilitated the current probe. It was based on the foregoing and in compliance with the spirit of fair hearing that the commission requested the monarch to come forward for clarification on March 5, 2020 at 11am.

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Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Kano had last month quashed the report of the commission that indicted the Emir over an allegation of N3.4 billion fraud from the Emirate Council fund. Nullifying the action of the commission, the court held that the fundamental human right of Mallam Muhammad Sanusi II was violated because he was not given fair hearing.

The court said the failure of the commission to invite the Emir to defend himself against the allegations nullified any step taken or recommendation made by the commission. Meanwhile, there are two pending cases before the Kano State High Court over the N3.4 billion fraud allegations against the emir being investigated by the commission.