Police release former Kano anti-graft chairman Muhuyi Magaji after petition-induced arrest
Kola Oyelere, Kano
The Nigeria Police Force has released the former Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Barr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, hours after his arrest in Kano and subsequent transfer to Abuja for interrogation.
Rimingado was picked up on Friday at his law firm along Zaria Road by operatives believed to be from the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit. He regained his freedom on Saturday but confirmed that he is expected to return to Abuja on Monday to complete his bail formalities.
Speaking after his release, the former anti-graft boss disclosed that investigators informed him he was arrested following two petitions. One was reportedly filed by former Kano State governor and immediate past APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and the second by former Managing Director of the Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), Alhaji Bala Inuwa.
According to Rimingado, Ganduje accused him of malicious prosecution linked to investigations into the state’s equity in the Dala Inland Dry Port, which the former PCACC chairman alleged was improperly converted by the ex-governor and his sons. Inuwa, on his part, alleged that properties confiscated from him through legal processes during Rimingado’s tenure were wrongfully disposed of.
Both the Dala Inland Dry Port equity dispute and the KASCO matter are currently pending before competent courts.
Rimingado’s arrest and release come amid escalating political and legal tensions surrounding investigations carried out by the PCACC during his leadership.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International (AI) has strongly criticised the Nigeria Police Force over what it described as a “reckless, militarised abduction” of the former PCACC chairman. In a statement issued Friday night, the global rights organisation demanded his immediate and unconditional release, warning that the nature of the arrest suggests Nigeria is “sliding into dangerous authoritarian habits.”
According to Amnesty, heavily armed operatives stormed Rimingado’s law chambers in an operation witnesses said resembled a battlefield raid. The group alleged that officers, said to be acting on directives from the Inspector-General of Police, arrived in a truck loaded with weapons and threatened to shoot anyone who attempted to intervene.
“This was not an arrest; it was an act of intimidation carried out with chilling bravado,” the organisation stated, accusing the police of flouting due process and democratic norms.
Amnesty International further noted that Rimingado has faced persistent harassment since exposing alleged large-scale corruption during the Ganduje administration. It recalled that in January, he was similarly detained by a special team from the IGP’s office.
“The pattern is unmistakable; this is punishment for his anti-corruption work,” the rights group said.
The organisation described the latest arrest as part of a disturbing trend where security agencies appear to be deployed for political purposes, stressing that law enforcement must not operate as “a private enforcement arm for political actors.”
It warned that actions of this nature erode public trust in policing institutions and damage Nigeria’s international image. “Punishing an anti-graft advocate sends a bleak message about the state’s commitment to transparency and justice,” it added.
Amnesty International insisted that “Muhuyi Magaji must be released immediately and unconditionally,” calling the continued pressure on him “a stain on Nigeria’s image and a betrayal of the rule of law.”