KANO State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has arrested eight personnel of Kano Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO) and others in relation to an alleged fraud of over N4.3billion in less than a year.
The commission has also confiscated properties including eight warehouses filled with several vehicles including heavy-duty trucks and Hilux, thousands of bags of fertilizer, soya beans, cement and Guinea corns among others suspected to have been purchased by the money allegedly diverted from the government coffers through two private entities.
The anti-graft commission’s boss, Muhuyi Magaji, who briefed journalists on Saturday during an inspection of the confiscated property at Kumbotso LGA of the state, said investigations had established the private entities used for the alleged fraud to be Association of Compassionate Friends, Limestone Processing Links
“This Association of Compassionate Friends was registered as an incorporated trustee in 2019 with the purpose of promoting and advancing the eradication of begging by children of the less privileged in the society, while Limestone Processing Links is a registered business name that got N480million,” he said.
He said the property was sealed and handed over to the police to watch over after securing an order from the court based on the law establishing the anti-graft commission.
In the court order placed at the entrance of the confiscated property, the erstwhile Managing Director of KASCO, Bala Inuwa Muhammad, who is said to be at large, was listed as the first of the nine respondents along with Najib Muhammad, Abdullahi Ibrahim, Aminu Sadiq, Umar Alhassan, Surajo Lawal, Safiyanu Tsakuwa, Nura Yusuf and Aminu Fagge Lawal.
A source familiar with the investigation told this newspaper that from August 19, 2022 to April 3, 2023, KASCO made payments of over N3.2billion to Association of Compassionate Friends in 12 tranches.
“Aside the N3.275billion paid to Association of Compassionate Friends and the N480million paid to Limestone Processing Links in two tranches of N240million each, we also confirmed the payment of N20million, N30million and N78.6million to private accounts and one foundation,” one of the lead investigators, who asked not to be named, further revealed.
The source said the major part of the money that left KASCO within the time under review was from the Federal Allocation Account of Kano that was paid to KASCO as grant.
“N3.2billion was paid to KASCO in between August and October, 2022 in the pretext of grant in different tranches of N1billion on August 1, N350million on October 5; N316million and N991.6million both on October 19; and N250m and N350m on October 20,” he added.
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption commission boss revealed that the suspects arrested and others fingered in the investigation would be arraigned before a state High Court next week.
