•Kwankwaso faults alarm, cautions FG over meddling in Kano affairs
•Anti-graft agency bent on prosecuting Ganduje as court shields chair

Following Friday’s security alert over impending attacks in Kano State, the police command has disclosed that the suspected terrorists, who came from Chad to perpetrate the dastardly act, were forced to vanish to Cameroon.

The spokesperson of the command, Abdullahi Kiyawa, claimed that operatives of the command recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at the Sani Abacha Stadium, the venue of the National Maulud of the Tijjaniyya Muslim sect at the weekend.

While faulting the alert, the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, also told the Federal Government to desist from meddling in the affairs of Kano under any guise.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is still being prosecuted for alleged bribery, misappropriation and diversion of public funds, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has said.

This was as a Kano High Court, presided over by Justice Sanusi Ado Ma’aji, issued an interim order restraining the police and others from inviting, arresting or harassing the Chairman of the Kano PCACC, Muhuyi Rimingado.

Responding to questions on the security signal at the weekend on terrorist attacks in Kano, the Commissioner of Police, Salman Garba, insisted the command acted based on reliable intelligence.

During a briefing, yesterday, at the command headquarters, Salman revealed that the terrorists had planned to take undue advantage of the gathering of Tijjaniyya sects from across the country in Kano to unleash terror.

“We truly acted on intelligence. The terrorists came from Chad to launch an attack in Kano. They had planned to use the Tijjaniyya Maulud celebration to unleash their terror. That was the reason for the signal, and we deployed men to comb the venue of the event. We recovered IEDs at the venue and we also arrested a soft suspect, who was their host in Kano, while the primary targets escaped to Cameroon,” Salman said.

Kiyawa declared that the security alert was rather an attempt to obstruct the yearly religious activities billed for Sani Abacha stadium, Kano.
KWANKWASO charged the force to rather uphold professionalism and avoid partisanship in the discharge of its duties.

He said, “This conduct by the police, which has already been marked as a willing partner of the Federal Government in its habitual interference in Kano’s affairs, further erodes its credibility. Issuing a threat alert of this magnitude, which turned out to be false, sets a dangerous precedent. I am afraid that it will lead to people being complacent in the event of a genuine security alert in the future.

“Due to the international nature of the event, the conduct of the police leadership in Kano also leaves a bad impression of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) generally.”

Kwankwaso warned the Federal Government to avoid dragging itself into situations that only complicate governance in states.

RIMINGADO, who was a guest on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’ programme, yesterday, said he won’t cower into discontinuing the case against the former Kano governor.

“We are prosecuting him in person. We have started this investigation in 2021. I was made to leave and passed through a series of tribulations, including arrest, detention, assault and humiliation. When I came back, I continued from where I stopped. So, I am not witch-hunting anybody,” he said.

A Kano State High Court adjourned the hearing of preliminary objections in Ganduje’s case to February 13, 2025.

The case, instituted by the Kano government, involves eight counts of bribery, misappropriation and diversion of public funds allegedly running to billions of naira.

Alongside Ganduje, the defendants include his wife, Hafsat. Others are Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

JUSTICE Ma’aji granted the order after an ex parte motion was filed by the plaintiffs.

The case was adjourned till February 10, 2025, for the hearing of the motion on notice.

The restraining order follows a reported attempt by police operatives to arrest Rimingado in connection with an investigation into the alleged diversion of N4 billion by the former Managing Director of Kano Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO), Bala Inuwa.

The anti-graft boss had earlier been granted bail but was directed to report to the police headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, for further questioning.