Kano anti-corruption commission recovers withheld vehicles from, Kwankwaso’s son, four former commissioners
Kola Oyelere Kano
The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has recovered five official vehicles from former members of the Kano State Executive Council who allegedly failed to return government property after voluntarily resigning from office.
Operatives of the commission carried out the recovery exercise on Thursday following what officials described as the continued refusal of the affected former commissioners to comply with repeated directives to surrender the vehicles.
Those involved include Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Umar (retd), former Commissioner for Internal Security; Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Commissioner for Youth and Sports; Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata, former Commissioner for Science and Technology; Dr. Adamu Aliyu Kibiya, former Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs; and Hon. Nasiru Sani Garo, former Commissioner for Special Projects.
Briefing journalists after the operation, the Chairman of the commission, Sa’idu Yahaya, said the action became necessary after the former officials failed to heed official requests to return government assets.
According to him, the move followed formal complaints and notification from the Office of the Secretary to the Kano State Government, the custodian of government vehicles, over alleged abuse of office and the need for immediate return of public property upon resignation.
“Government assets are not personal property. Once an official leaves office, all government vehicles and assets in their custody must be returned immediately,” Yahaya said.
He disclosed that the commission secured a court order before carrying out the recovery, insisting that due process was followed.
“So far, we have recovered five vehicles from the five commissioners. However, only two of the vehicles recovered are the exact official vehicles purchased by the government. The other three are not the original vehicles,” he stated.
Yahaya alleged that investigations revealed the original vehicles had been sold and replaced with other ones, which were also recovered during the operation.
He added that a full-scale investigation would be launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged sale.
The commission’s chairman dismissed claims that the action was politically motivated, maintaining that the intervention was in line with the agency’s statutory responsibility to safeguard public property.
“This is not about witch-hunting anyone. It is about protecting the resources of the people of Kano State. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct or unlawful retention of government property,” he said.
He further warned that the commission would intensify surveillance on the use and custody of public assets and take similar measures against any official found to be in breach of asset return regulations.
Meanwhile, a retired senior civil servant, Mohammad Tukur, clarified that no existing law permits a commissioner to retain an official vehicle after leaving office.
He explained that government policy provides vehicles strictly for the discharge of official duties and not as personal entitlements.
“No law guarantees commissioners the right to keep government vehicles at the end of a successful tenure, whether they are sacked or resign from office,” Tukur said.
He noted, however, that the governor retains executive discretion to permit an official to keep a vehicle after service, adding that commissioners are generally entitled to certain allowances — not official vehicles — upon leaving office, and that those who resign or are removed may not qualify for severance benefits.