Judge orders arrest of Kano anti-graft agency chairman

A High Court has ordered arrest of the Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado.The order, issued by Justice Mohammed Yahaya, directed the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 1 to ensure the custody of Rimingado, and produce him in the court on 18th July, 2018.

In a summon dated 5th July, 2018, signed by deputy chief registrar, the court accused the Kano anti-graft commission chairman of ignoring its summons over a case involving the immediate past accountant general of the state, Hajia Aisha Bello, and the agency.

The judge said: “At the last adjourned date, I made an order that the 1st respondent/contemptnor (Muhuji Magaji) must to be present in court, the order remains valid until set aside.

“The contemptnor is not in court today. Contempt proceeding cannot be heard in the absence of the contemptnor. Therefore I hereby ordered AIG Zone 1, Kano State to arrest the 1st respondent/contemptnor in person of Muhuyi Magagi and to produce him before this court on 18th July, 2018”.Magaji, last week, accused Justice Yahaya of the Kano High Court sitting in Gezawa division of obstructing judicial process in an alleged N100million fraud suit against Aisha Bello.

Addressing journalists last week, Rimingado alleged that the judge and some judicial officers in the state were undermining the course of justice especially, the fight against corruption in Kano.

The agency had filed the suit against.The accused person, who voluntarily resigned her appointment early this year, was alleged to have fraudulently diverted the said money, belonging to the local government, into a private account, a few weeks after she left the Ganduje’s administration. Meanwhile, Rimingado has declined to respond to the court order, shunning calls put through to his phone and text messages.