The Kano Coalition For Awareness on Accountability has debunked allegations of illegalities taking place at the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority’s (NEPZA) Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Kano State, leading to loss of billions of Naira in revenue.
The group, in a statement by its chairman, Sadi Tanko Surajo, and sent to journalists in Kano, described the allegation as baseless and an attempt to tarnish the image of the business community in the state.
“There is nothing like illegality at the Kano Free Trade Zone, I have been doing my businesses there for the past 10 years and all the allegations that I read on paper cannot be proven by the organisation that raised it.
“It is high time that we clear our name on the matter. I repeat, there is nothing illegal.
“This is not the first time that such an allegation was raised and the authorities are yet to find anything illegal in the Kano Free Trade Zone,” he said.
LEADERSHIP recalls that a civil society organisation, Centre for Awareness on Good Governance and Development, had petitioned the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged illegalities taking place at the Kano Free Trade Zone, leading to loss of billions of Naira in revenue.
In the petition addressed to the Zonal Director of the anti-graft Commission in Kano and signed by its Executive Director, Abubakar Auwal Yakubu, the CSO alleged that the illegality was taking place under the watch of some operatives of revenue-generating agencies like Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).
