The League of Civil Society Organizations in Kano has called on the state government to immediately suspend and prosecute officials implicated by the federal anti-graft agencies, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in recent weeks.
In a statement signed by leaders of 19 CSOs including Comrade Bala Abdullahi of Wuro Development Concerns (WDCN), Yushau Sani Yankuzo of Center For Human Rights and Social Development (CEFSAN), Muhammad Bello of African Centre For Innovative Research and Development (Afri-CIRD) and Adeniyi Aremu of Civil Society Organization for Conflict Resolution (CS-CRIN), among others, over the weekend and made available to newsmen, the group described the unfortunate incidences as “casting shadows on the integrity of governance in the state and threaten to erode public trust, economic stability and the credibility of development efforts”.
“On July 18, 2025, the Nigerian Tribune reported that the ICPC had concluded investigations into a ₦1.02 billion money laundering scheme allegedly orchestrated by the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, alongside the Commission’s Secretary, Anas Mustapha, and a Deputy Director in the Accounts Department, Ado Garba.
“According to the ICPC, the trio conspired to transfer over ₦1 billion from KANSIEC’s Unity Bank account to a private company, SLM Agro Global Farm, under the guise of facilitating payments to ad hoc electoral staff.
“The commission’s findings revealed that the banking system had already successfully disbursed payments to electoral officers, rendering the cash transaction not only unnecessary but a deliberate attempt to circumvent financial regulations and launder public funds.
“Barely a month later, on August 22, 2025, the Daily Nigerian exposed another scandal involving the Director General of Protocol, Government House Kano, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, who stands accused of diverting ₦6.5 billion in state funds through a network of shell companies and bureau de change operators.
“The EFCC and ICPC investigations uncovered that Mr. Rogo used companies such as H&M Nigeria Limited, A.Y. Maikifi Petroleum, and Ammas Oil and Gas Limited to channel funds for fictitious contracts. These funds were then converted to U.S. dollars and handed over in cash, bypassing all formal accountability mechanisms.
“Court documents revealed that Mr. Rogo’s personal and corporate bank accounts recorded suspicious inflows and outflows amounting to billions of naira, prompting the Federal High Court in Kano to order the permanent forfeiture of ₦142.2 million and freeze multiple accounts linked to the scandal” part of the statement reads.
As a result of this, the group further demanded the independent audit of state finances, strengthening oversight mechanisms, public disclosure and transparency, protection of whistleblowers as well as engagement with civil society organizations.
It also called on the state government to confront corruption head-on and restore integrity to public offices while calling on the general public to remain vigilant, demand transparency and hold their leaders to account.
