The police have arrested a journalist in Kano following a petition by an official of the state government who is facing a corruption charge in court
The journalist, Abubakar Ishaq, was arrested on Saturday over a programme aired on 1 September on an online platform, Dan’uwa Rano TV.
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In the programme, Mr Ishaq had commented on the corruption case against Abdullahi Rogo, the director of protocols at the Government House, Kano.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Rogo was being tried by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged diversion and laundering of N6.5 billion belonging to the state government.
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The anti-graft agencies alleged that Mr Rogo diverted the funds into personal accounts, fictitious companies and bureaux de change under a criminal scheme at the highest level of the state government.
The ICPC said it had recovered N1.3 billion of the allegedly stolen money, including funds allegedly laundered through corporate fronts and Mr Rogo’s private accounts.
On 2 July, the Federal High Court in Kano issued a final forfeiture order, granting the federal government control of a portion of the suspected loot traced to the governor’s aide.
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The case broke in April when the ICPC approached the court by an ex parte motion, seeking forfeiture of N142 million “reasonably suspected to have been acquired illegally.”
On 7 May, the judge granted interim forfeiture of the funds and directed that a notice be published in a national newspaper, inviting anyone interested to show cause within a month why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
No claimant emerged. By 2 July, the court ordered a final forfeiture of the N142 million, ruling that it represented proceeds of corruption connected to Mr Rogo.
However, investigators insist that the forfeited sum is only a fraction of the illicit transactions traced to the top Kano government official.
ICPC documents allege that Mr Rogo employed “front companies” to siphon funds, specifically naming H&M Nigeria Limited, A.Y. Maikifi Petroleum, and Ammas Oil and Gas Limited.
According to the investigators, A.Y. Maikifi Petroleum and Ammas Oil and Gas diverted N1.17 billion from the state treasury, which was laundered via bureau de change operators, converted into U.S. dollars, and allegedly handed to Mr Rogo in cash.
Speaking on his programme, Mr Ishaq said allegations of corruption by protocol officers are not new, adding that the officers always demanded bribes from contractors and people who wanted to see the governor.
He said some governors may be unaware of the development, but others may be due to their involvement in fraudulent activities.
Mr Ishaq was arrested by officers from Kano Zone 1 Police Division following a petition in which Mr Rogo accused him of defamation.
Yakubu Musa-Fagge, a colleague of Mr Ishaq, said the journalist was being held at the police zonal headquarters in the state and is awaiting arraignment on Monday.
The police spokesperson in Zone 1, Bashir Muhammad, confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES. He said the police would make a public statement over the incident soon.
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