The Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Graft Commission, Muhuyi Magaji, has been arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja on a 10-count charge, including corruption allegations, conflict of interest, abuse of office, false asset declaration, bribery, and accepting gifts.
The charges, presented on Thursday, November 17, stem from the alleged breach of the code of conduct for public officers. Among the accusations, Magaji is said to have failed to declare certain bank accounts containing the sum of N394 million, raising suspicions of corruption, according to a document exclusively obtained by our correspondent.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Magaji was granted bail in the sum of N5 million, with two sureties possessing properties within the Federal Capital Territory. The case has been adjourned to January 10, 2024.
Notably, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have been investigating Magaji’s actions during the tenure of the former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Magaji, who had been probing the former governor for alleged corruption based on a viral video depicting him allegedly receiving kickbacks in dollars from a contractor, now finds himself at the center of his own legal battles.
In the wake of the charges, both federal agencies have sought documents and financial records from the Public Complaints and Anti-Graft Commission. The EFCC, in a letter dated August 29, directed the commission’s Director of Finance and Accounts to appear for an interview at its headquarters in Abuja.
Similarly, the CCB requested detailed information on contractual undertakings by the Commission from 2016 to the present. The correspondence also sought financial details, including funds released by the Office of the Accountant General of Kano State and the Ministry of Local Government from 2019 to 2021, along with particulars of executed contracts and beneficiary accounts.
Magaji, who once vowed to hold Governor Ganduje accountable, now faces his own legal scrutiny, underscoring the complexity of the unfolding corruption saga in Kano State.
