Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, on Thursday, recovered official vehicles from commissioners who recently voluntarily resigned from the cabinet of Governor Abba Yusuf.
The recovery exercise, carried out by operatives of the commission on Thursday, followed the alleged continued refusal of the affected commissioners to return the government property.
The affected commissioners are Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Umar (retd), former Commissioner for Internal Security; Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Commissioner for Youth and Sports; Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata, former Commissioner for Science and Technology; Dr. Adamu Aliyu Kibiya, former Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs; and Hon. Nasiru Sani Garo, former Commissioner for Special Projects.
Chairman of the Commission, Sa’idu Yahaya, who led the operation, told journalists after the recovery exercise that the action became necessary after the former commissioners failed to comply with repeated official requests to return government property.
Yahaya disclosed that the operation was prompted by formal complaints and notification from the Office of the Secretary to the Kano State Government regarding alleged abuse of office and the urgent need for the former officials to return all government property in their possession upon resignation.
The chairman further alleged that some of the commissioners sold the official vehicles shortly after leaving office.
He said, “Government assets are not personal property. Once an official leaves office, all government vehicles and assets in their custody must be returned immediately.
“They were advised to return the vehicles to avoid a situation like this, but they refused, leaving us with no alternative but to take action. We followed due process and secured a court order, which was duly granted, to recover the vehicles.
“So far, we have recovered five vehicles from the five commissioners. However, only two of the vehicles recovered are the exact official vehicles purchased by the government. The other three are not the original vehicles.
“Investigation revealed that the official vehicles had been sold and replaced with other vehicles, which we also recovered. We will launch a full investigation to determine whether the official vehicles were sold to procure these ones or otherwise.”
The anti-corruption boss dismissed suggestions that the action was politically motivated, insisting that the commission’s intervention was strictly in line with its statutory responsibility to safeguard public property.
“This is not about witch-hunting anyone. It is about protecting the resources of the people of Kano State. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct or unlawful retention of government property,” he said.
He further warned that the commission would sustain surveillance on the use and custody of public assets, stressing that similar measures would be taken against any official found to be in breach of asset return regulations.
“Public trust depends on transparency and accountability. We are determined to strengthen both, and we will take appropriate action against anyone found mismanaging or unlawfully holding government property,” Yahaya added.
