The EFCC Monday swooped on the Kano State House of Assembly and detained the Speaker of the House, Alh. Gambo Sallau, alongside principal officers in what the state government has described as a political assault on the state government following the mass defection of the State Governor, Engr. Rabiu Kwakwanso alongside several other key politicians in government positions to the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Arrested alongside the Speaker are the Deputy Speaker, Isyaku Ali Danja, the Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip, Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Chairman House Committee on Finance and Clerk of the House. Continue...


A statement by the Government of Kano State said it noted with utter disappointment and surprise, the arrest of the officials.

The statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations to the state governor, Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, stated that the public officials were apparently arrested in connection with the budget amendment of 2013 of the State Government, which has already been signed into law by the state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

The statement added that the Speaker and his colleagues have only exercised their constitutional responsibilities of ensuring that budgets are properly articulated, to ensure probity and accountability in public expenditure, so that in the end, the citizens enjoy dividends of democracy.

“It is Chrystal clear that the above mentioned public officials were arrested by the EFCC on the orders from the above, because of the legislators’ defection to APC, in support of Governor Kwankwaso,” the government said, adding that “This action is obviously to intimidate and cow them into submission for choosing to move to the progressive fold. This action is not only despicable and absurd but also capable of igniting crisis in the polity, thereby breaching the relative peace that is being enjoyed in Kano state. It is regrettable that the EFCC is allowing itself to be a tool of witch-hunt in the hands of powers that be.”

THEWILL contacted the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwajaren, to seek further information on why the officials were detained and the allegation of witch-hunt, he urged us to email our questions for a formal response.

Mr. Uwajaren’s had not responded to our questions as at the time of filing this repor t.

SOURCE: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/aftermath-of-defection-to-apc-efcc-detains-kano-speaker-principal-officers/

Naija I dey hail ooooo

EFCC quizzes principal officers of Kano Assembly

*Arrest an attempt to frustrate lawmakers over APC —Kwankwaso

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North & AbdulSalam Muhammad

KANO—Barely three weeks after the Kano State governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, operatives of the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, yesterday moved against him.

In a move reminiscent of the Obasanjo days, agents of the anti-graft agency took away the speaker of the House of Assembly, Gambo Salau, and all the principal officers as well as the Clerk, for grilling.

The speaker and all other principal officers were first stripped of their security details and moved into a vehicle before being taken away to the EFCC office in Kano and later transferred to Abuja for what the operatives called “questioning.”

Reacting to the development, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso described the action not only as politically motivated but also a brazen attempt to frustrate the Kano lawmakers from defecting to All Progressives Congress, APC.

The governor said: “It is crystal clear that the above mentioned public officials were arrested by the EFCC based on the orders from the above, because of the legislators’ defection to APC, in support of Governor Kwankwaso.

“This action is obviously to intimidate and cow them into submission for choosing to move to the progressive fold.

This action is not only despicable and absurd but also capable of igniting crisis in the polity, thereby breaching the relative peace that is being enjoyed in Kano state. It is regrettable that the EFCC is allowing itself to be a tool of witch-hunt in the hands of the powers that be.”

But the commissioner said that those taken to Abuja were merely responding to an invitation to be able to respond to allegations of fraud raised by a petitioner against them.

Spokesman for EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told Vanguard that the officials were not taken by force but that they willingly came to honour an invitation over a petition bordering on the supplementary budget recently passed by them.

Those taken into EFCC custody included the Speaker, Gambo Salau, his Deputy, Majority leader, Hamisu Ibrahim, Deputy Majority leader, Minority leader, Deputy minority leader, the Chief Whip, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Chairman, House Committee on Finance and the Clerk of the Assembly.

The EFCC operatives, who were backed by two Armoured Personnel Carriers and 20 regular policemen had earlier in the morning took over the premises of the Assembly Complex located at Audu Bako Secretariat in anticipation of the arrival of the lawmakers due to sit and consider a N28 billion supplementary budget sent to them last week by Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Shortly after the unsuspecting lawmakers trickled into the complex and commenced the business of the day, the operatives quickly served the Speaker an invitation letter that was subsequently read to the lawmakers.

However, the controversial N28 billion supplementary budget passed through the first and second reading before it was passed into law by the legislators during tension-soaked session.

When the legislators wound off their business, the affected key officers were whisked away by the heavily armed security personnel to EFCC office located at Hajj Camp general area in Kano.

Confirming the arrests, the EFCC spokesman, said they had a petition from an unnamed petitioner alleging that the N28 billion supplementary budget before the lawmakers was an attempt to siphon public funds and not really meant to serve any public good.


SOURCE: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/efcc-quizzes-principal-officers-kano-assembly/

What are their crimes?

Im waiting for the 15k paid e-rats to come and sing GEJ is fighting corruption.human beings turned pdp computer robots...always ranting with thier gutters called mouths. I dont blame them...i dont expect less since they are already paid pdp internet robots hence...they dont have a functional brains. The ones that are so glaring to the public eyes...madam bullet proof, nnpc, pension and the likes....what have efcc done about it? Its a very big shame to the president and to Nigerians as a whole that madam bullet proof is still in our dear corruption fighter war lord's cabinet. Remeber...every robot has an expiry date...come 2015,you will expire..and guess what? you will GO AND DIE!!! you and ur other pdp robot "insincere" 9gerian

This is just pure witch hunting. Pdp old tactics!

Hmmm! GEJ @ work, 11 lawmakers @ a time. Sokoto, yours is coming

GEJ can no longer hide behind his evil grin, now the mask is off. He will go down history as the most deceitful leader Nigeria ever had. This isn't politics, this is witchcraft.

Interestin...

Yes, we are at it again....Crying out louder than the bereaved. In one breath we accuse the law enforcement agencies of inaction & in another breath of bias. A concerned citizen has written expressing suspicion of the commission of a crime, the apt agency had waded in & invited named respondents for their responses. No patience at all to see through the outcome of the investigatory process. We are all alleging bias, persecution,etc, with a dearth of the anticipated pnothing of such happened plea'

just as an italian writter puts it,'there are truths that aren't truths'. some nigerians are just mere poppycorks. tell me,whats gej's business when security parastatals choose to do their job. if these so called law makers have been indicted then they should be dealt with pdp or not! its as simple as it sounds and looks. pls stop casting aspertions at Gej,let him be for once!

v

What happened to immunity during active service?

the questions is what did they do? Who informed the EfCC of what is happening underground in the house? What do a sitting house need 24billion for as supplementary budget? If your hands are clean you have nothing to fear and complain of. ..........Lets join hands and support the EFCC with more verifiable information, So that our three arms of govt will perform independently with checks and balances.

Jonathan and his efcc political gun.

EFCC my foot!!

Most Nigerians are confuse human being, just yestaday they were complaining that GEJ administration is corrupt, he is influencing efcc not to do their work and now that efcc wants to do their they are says its a political assult. Please tell me how do you want him to fight this corruption

Whom the gods want to destroy they first make mad, goodluck lame duck is mad!

efcc still dey naijeria? unbelievable!

heykims: What happened to immunity during active service?

presidents, governors, vice presidents, and deputy governors

if they did not do anything wrong, then they have nothing to fear even if GEJ accelerated their probe.

Sam4g8: just as an italian writter puts it,'there are truths that aren't truths'. some nigerians are just mere poppycorks. tell me,whats gej's business when security parastatals choose to do their job. if these so called law makers have been indicted then they should be dealt with pdp or not! its as simple as it sounds and looks. pls stop casting aspertions at Gej,let him be for once!

Why now and not when they are in PDP?

I like dis politics game in Nigeria It's a funny one.....

One of his biggest crime was that he was soft on corruption, now his new biggest crime is that he is hard on corruption.

Anit Gej why?

rudedough:

I think we should let the EFCC do their job. What is wrong with investigating a petition? Nigerians and their irrational mentality.

There is a reason why i don't want to have anything to do with that country.

The problem is with the double standards of the EFCC. Where were they when the Oduahgate saga raged. Did they invite the minister for questioning? Did they call on Cosmas Madueke of Coscharis for questioning? That is what makes Nigerians complain. Let justice be fair to all, not lopsided.

That said, everyday for the thief, one day for the owner. If these lawmakers are guilty of any fraud, let them face the consequences. One day it will be time up for other polithiefcians.

Please i want ask a question, " why are folks always reminding us of THIEF Stella Odua when FFK (the BIGER THIEF) is modelled and cerebrated daily on this forum?" Both FFK and ODUA supervised the traps that killed many Nigerians. Both stole our money emass. The only difference between FFK and Odua is that the later was caughth while the former was not. Imagine a thief accusing and criticizng another thief in naira land? HYPOCRISY. I will feel like MANDELA if i get banned for speaking this TRUTH. GOD BLESS NIGERIA

Nigeria I weep for you! So this is finally what our evil fathers have turned the future of Nigeria into; youths who are without any sense of objectivity, young people without an iota of patriotism but tribalism and nepotism, educated but uninformed people. Most comments on this thread are a reflection of systematic brainwash. If the youths of today who are supposedly leaders of tomorrow cannot look at issues objectively and talk about it objectively without religious and tribal sentiments, then I weep for us. Oh Nigeria, I weep for thee!