Former Managing Director of the Kano State Agricultural Supply Company, KASCO, Bala Inuwa, has accused the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission of violating an existing court order by confiscating and taking over his properties.
Bala told newsmen on Wednesday that the agency took over his properties, worth billions of Naira, in contravention of a High Court order that stopped any public office from taking action on the properties pending the determination of a substantive suit before the court.
He said the properties, which were stocked with various brands of trailers, fertilizer grinding machines, and other agricultural implements, were taken over by the anti-graft commission in violation of the court order.
Bala reminded that in a suit (No. K/M 1563/2024) before Justice Aisha Ya’u between Bala Inuwa Muhammad and Safiyanu Hamisu, suing under the names and style of Limestone Processing Links as applicants, and the Nigeria Police Force and the Commissioner of Police as respondents, the court ruled on a motion on notice dated 19th August, 2024, together with an accompanying affidavit duly sworn to by Bala Inuwa Muhammad, the 1st applicant. The court ruled in their favor.
In the order, he said, the court decided that the action of the respondents—forcefully entering the 2nd applicant’s premises known as No. 157 Kumbotso Rasha, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, and taking away movable properties under the guise of taking inventory pursuant to the investigation against Bala Inuwa Muhammad—confiscating and deploying police officers, thereby taking over the entire premises and denying the applicants, particularly the 2nd applicant, access to run its factory, was illegal.
The court ruled, in an order seen by our correspondent, that the objective of taking over the properties by the agency was “tantamount to illegality, unlawful, unconstitutional, and a veritable contravention of the applicants’ fundamental right to movable and immovable properties guaranteed by Section 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”
Bala Inuwa argued that the court granted an order directing the respondents to forthwith remove and retrieve the police officers stationed at the 2nd applicant’s premises, No. 157 Kumbotso Rasha, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, thereby re-granting full access to the applicants to enjoy the rights to their movable and immovable properties as the rightful owners.
Similarly, Bala Inuwa Muhammad said that since the respondents refused to adhere to the first court order, he rushed back to the court and obtained an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents, the police, the state commissioner of police, and the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from entering, interfering with, dealing with, occupying, or taking any further steps in relation to his property known as No. 157 Kumbotso Rasha, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.
The court further ruled for a stay of all actions related to the subject matter, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“Another High Court granted leave for the applicants to effect the service of the order of the honorable court and all subsequent processes filed before the court in the case against the 1st respondent through the 2nd respondent, and to consider same as proper.”
He added that an interim order was granted for parties to maintain the status quo and stay all actions in respect of the matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter, which has yet to be heard.
But the Chairman of the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Barrister Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, dismissed the allegations, arguing that all the orders obtained by Bala Inuwa Muhammad were obtained in default and could “not stand the test of legal values.”
Rimin-Gado insisted that all the orders restraining him and his commission from carrying out their fundamental duties had been vacated, as they were all interim orders and had expired since 2024.
Similarly, he said some of the orders affected only police officers drafted to the company in question, and since they were taken away, that cannot stop them from carrying out their duties using other means.
“Therefore, we are using the personnel of the Kano State Road Traffic Agency, KAROTA, as our enforcement agents, and we are doing that on the powers vested in us under Section 58 of the Commission’s Laws,” he added.
Last modified: January 8, 2025
