Fighting Corruption Is Like Fighting Drug Cartels, Says Ex-Kano Anti-Corruption Boss

The immediate-past chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, has likened the fight against corruption in Nigeria to the deadly battle the United States fought against Colombian drug cartels.

Speaking on “Youth as Catalyst of Integrity: Building a Corruption-Free Future for Nigeria”, during the public presentation of the 19th Edition of the Compendium on 100 High Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria In Lagos, Rimi-Gado recounted his recent arrest and detention by police in Kano

He compared Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign to the decades-long war waged by US and Colombian authorities against drug cartels in the South American country.

Established in April 2005, PCACC is tasked with fighting corruption in Kano State and is currently prosecuting former governor and ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, over alleged financial misconduct.

Rimin-Gado also drew a connection between the rise of violence and banditry in northern Nigeria and the diversion of public funds by corrupt officials, saying, “Their self-serving policies create a stagnant pool of poverty and human misery from which criminals find many potential recruits.”

He revealed that his investigation into corruption complaints exposed links between most companies involved in public-private partnership projects in the state and former Governor Ganduje, uncovering billions of naira in illicit funds tied to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), particularly in fraudulent land rents.

Reflecting on his experiences while probing what he called “an avalanche of corruption cases in Kano,” Rimin-Gado described corrupt politicians as “cancerous ailments that should be removed through a painful but necessary surgical operation before Nigeria can reclaim her pride in the comity of nations.”

On preventing corrupt politicians from gaining office, he urged Nigerians to vote against “a league of corrupt elites who have sold the birthrights of the people.”

He further recounted the personal dangers he has faced, noting that his anti-corruption work led to “ceaseless threats” against him and his family, culminating in his recent arrest last Friday.

He described being forcibly driven from Kano to Abuja at night by armed security agents and detained for 17 hours. “I was bundled into a vehicle and sandwiched between armed policemen during the journey. If armed bandits had attacked the convoy, there would have been only a slim chance of escape,” he said.

He highlighted the scale of the corruption he encountered, stating, “The cases I started investigating in Kano involved billions of public funds diverted by public officials. They are desperate to kill in order to sit on stolen funds. They are as dangerous as drug cartels in Colombia. Fighting them is like fighting drug lords.”

Rimin-Gado also warned that corruption cannot be tackled effectively when law enforcement officers are compromised by the same corrupt politicians.

“some policemen are currently being used against me by powerful but stupendously corrupt politicians who feed on the misery of the toiling masses.”

He questioned why the Nigeria Police Force would investigate a judicial process already initiated under Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution, arguing that pursuing someone who has filed corruption charges on behalf of the state is “prejudicial.”

“I was given fiat by the Attorney General to prosecute allegations of offence against the laws of Kano State. Why arrest me for doing what I have legal duty to do? Why not arrest the state if they can? The police have no legal or moral reasons to enquire about what is already before the court of law, especially a criminal matter which the court has already taken cognisance of,” he said.

Rimin-Gado concluded by reiterating the threat posed by corrupt politicians, stating, “Corrupt politicians are as vicious as the world’s most violent drug lords who are prepared to kill and burn the country down, than to face justice or give up their crime.

“Nigeria will not prosper as long as corrupt actors dominate the political space,” he added.