Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission said it has arrested the permanent secretary of Kano Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mohammed Kabawa; and Garba Kwankwaso, the nephew of former presidential candidate, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, and three others over alleged involvement in multi-billion naira drugs supply scam.
The commission on Tuesday identified the others arrested to include the chairman of the state branch of Association for Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Abdullahi Bashir, who is also the chairman of Tauroni Local Government Area (LGA).
Garba is the managing director of Novomed Pharmaceuticals.
The suspects were accused of connivance to award a contract to Novomed for the supply of drugs to 38 local government areas in the state, thus violating public procurement laws.
Preliminary investigations revealed that each of the 38 LGAs paid N9.150 million to Novomed for the procurement of drugs but the drugs were not supplied.
“We have 44 LGAs in the state and they succeeded in collecting N9.150bn from 38 councils for supply of the drugs that were not supplied
“The findings also revealed that all the suspects are cooperating with the commission’s investigation team,” a source close to the case told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Spokesman of the commission Kabiru Kabiru said investigation was ongoing.
