The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has allegedly withdrawn about 40 policemen who were attached to the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC).
It was learnt that the withdrawal follows an investigation into multi-billion naira alleged corruption against the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Ganduje.
Although Daily News 24 could not independently verify this claim, but the PCACC has filed charges of alleged fraud against Mr Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat, his son Abba and some associates.
The Kano anti-graft agency, led by Muhuyi Magaji, a former Ganduje loyalist, is accusing Mr Ganduje of receiving about $413,000 and diverting N1.2 billion.
Also read: Kano Anti-graft Agency: We’ve traced N51.3bn misappropriated funds to Ganduje
In an interview Mr Magaji said the agency had discovered that Mr Ganduje had misappropriated more than N51 billion.
An online platform Daily Nigerian, reported on Thursday that the IGP gave the order for the withdrawal of the policemen to the State Commissioner of Police Usaini Gumel on Thursday.
According to the report, a text message circulated to the affected policemen read: “Order and Directives to all officers and men of the Nigeria police force attached to public complaint and Anti corruption commission Kano State are warned directed to report back to Command headquarters with immediate effect those with high profile cases to hand over such to Head of Operations immediately all to acknowledge please.”
The newspaper said some of the policemen were helping the commission’s anti-corruption investigations, providing security to the commission’s headquarters and other seized properties under investigation.
“This is truly lamentable. The commission is now vulnerable. Our offence is investigating corruption of the national chairman of APC.
“It is ironic that the same police that withdrew security around the former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello, have beefed up security around Ganduje to prevent the commission from arresting him. After that, they now have the temerity to withdraw security from the anti-corruption commission,” a source told Daily Nigerian.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comments.
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