No fewer than three officials of the Nassarawa Local Government Area including Governor Abba Yusuf’s Senior Special Assistant, Mustapha Maifada, have been arrested by Kano State Public Complaints and Anti- Corruption Commission over the alleged diversion of N105m.
The council’s Director of Personnel Management, Treasurer, and Cashier were also arrested.
Confirming the arrests in a WhatsApp message on Tuesday morning, PCACC Chairman, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado, said: “Yes, the officials have been arrested and they are with us.”
According to sources, the three local government officials were initially instructed to issue a payment of N105,000 for a program.
However, they reportedly issued a cheque of N105m to the governor’s aide in November 2024.
Acting on intelligence from a financial monitoring system, the anti-graft agency launched an investigation into the alleged misappropriation.
“During interrogation, the detained officials claimed the payment was a mistake, but given the time lapse since November 2024 and other available evidence, the commission is not accepting this explanation,” a source disclosed.
Further findings suggest that the governor’s aide allegedly used the funds to acquire properties. The investigation is still ongoing.