‘Multi-million Naira scam’: Kwankwaso’s Nephew Challenges Anti-Graft Agencies

Musa Garba Kwankwaso, a nephew of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, has announced his intention to challenge the actions of three anti-corruption agencies against him in court.

Kwankwaso said this shortly after he honoured the invitation of the State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission (PCACC) on Thursday in company of his lawyers.

Daily Trust reports that the PCACC had scheduled a meeting with the Managing Director of Novomed pharmaceuticals, Musa Garba Kwankwaso, over an alleged multi-million naira drug supply contract scam.

The letter, signed by CSP Salisu Saleh, the commission’s head of operations on behalf of the chairman, stated that “the commission is investigating an alleged violation of Section 31 and 33 of the Public Procurement Law and Financial Management Law concerning contracts awarded by the Ministry for Local Governments in Kano State to your company (Novomed Pharmaceuticals) for the supply of drugs to 44 local government councils.”

The investigation is based on a N440 million drug contract.

The anti-graft agency has secured a post-no-debit order on the account of Novomed Pharmaceuticals, blocking over N160 million while moving to recover the remaining sum.

Speaking, the counsel to Kwankwaso, Barrister Okechukwu Nwaeze, said, “Three agencies are investigating one person for the same offenses. The ICPC , EFCC and the PCACC have extended an invitation on the same issue, I don’t think that is allowed under our constitution. How many times will we do so, will we do three times. So somebody else can wake up tomorrow and say we have to come and invite us and we still go.

“We want the court to make pronouncement, the court has already pronounced on this matter. We are going to stand on this pronouncement and ask for another pronouncement on this particular issue.

“We are taking decisions, we are evaluating everything but three agencies cannot investigate one offense and we are going to challenge that in the Court.”

Daily Trust reports that the issue came to the fore when a US-based Kano indigene filmmaker and content creator, Bello Galadanchi released an expose that the caretaker chairmen were directed to remit N10 million each to the account of Novomed Pharmaceuticals, a company reportedly owned by Musa Garba Kwankwaso.

The state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has flagged the remittance as “fraudulent”, leading to the interrogation of several officials, including Mohammed Kabara, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Abdullahi Bashir, chairman of the state branch of the Association for Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and other officials of the Ministry of Local Government.

They were questioned on Tuesday and Wednesday and subsequently granted administrative bail.