EFCC Grills ex-Governor [Details]

A former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday, turned himself in for interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This came weeks after this newspaper reported how the top member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shunned previous invitations by the anti-corruption agency.

His decision to turn himself in could have been made to avert possible arrest which our reporter learnt was being planned by the commission.

Top EFCC officials, who asked not to be named because they had no permission to speak on the matter, said Mr Kwankwaso arrived at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja before noon on Saturday.

“This was after repeated invitations not honoured by him,” one of the sources said.

Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s spokesperson, could not be immediately reached for comments.

A close aide, who sometimes speaks for Mr Kwankwaso, said he would get back to our reporter, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

It was reported that the former governor was being investigated over a 2015 petition by Concerned Kano State Workers and Pensioners, who alleged that he violated the Kano State Pension and Gratuity Law of 2007 in the management of pension remittances amounting to about N10 billion contributed between 2011 and 2015.

Mr Kwankwaso, earlier governed Kano State between 1999 and 2003, before he returned for his second term from 2011 to 2015.

The 64-year-old also served as the senator representing Kano Central between 2015 and 2019.

According to the petitioners, Mr Kwankwaso had directed that pension remittances be used for housing development, largely to favour the pensioners.

A tripartite deal was later reached between Kano State Pension Trust Funds as the investors and Kano State Investment and Property Limited and Kano State Housing Corporation Limited as developers on a 60:40 sharing ratio.

However, after contracts for the construction of 1,579 houses were awarded for the development of ” Kwankwasiya, Amana, and Bandarawa Cities”, the petitioners alleged, Mr Kwankwaso “manipulated” the process to terminate the term of the agreement and made outright allocations in favour of his aide and cronies.

The alleged manipulation happened in May 2015, the month Mr Kwankwaso left office as Kano’s governor.

Mr Kwankwaso is not the only politically exposed person who shunned an invitation by the EFCC last week, findings by this newspaper show.

As of the time of filing this report, Mr Kwankwaso had been grilled for hours by EFCC operatives.

It is not clear yet if he will be released on bail or pass the night in custody.