The League of Civil Society Organizations in Kano State has expressed deep concern over mounting allegations of corruption invol...
The League of Civil Society Organizations in Kano State has expressed deep concern over mounting allegations of corruption involving top government officials under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration. The group described the revelations as alarming, systemic, and a major threat to good governance, economic development, and public trust in the state.
In a press statement released on Saturday, August 23, 2025, the League pointed to two recent high-profile investigations by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies — the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) — implicating senior figures in the Kano State Government. On July 18, the Nigerian Tribune reported that the ICPC had completed investigations into a ₦1.02 billion money laundering scheme allegedly orchestrated by the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, in collaboration with the Commission’s Secretary, Anas Mustapha, and a Deputy Director of Accounts, Ado Garba. The trio reportedly transferred over ₦1 billion from the KANSIEC Unity Bank account to a private company, SLM Agro Global Farm, purportedly to pay ad-hoc electoral staff, despite the fact that those payments had already been processed electronically. The Commission described the cash transaction as an unnecessary and deliberate attempt to bypass financial regulations and launder public funds.
Barely a month later, another scandal surfaced. On August 22, the Daily Nigerian exposed what it called a complex fraud scheme involving the Director General of Protocol at Government House, Kano, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo. According to findings by both the EFCC and ICPC, Rogo allegedly diverted ₦6.5 billion of public funds through a web of shell companies and Bureau de Change operators. The investigation revealed that companies such as H&M Nigeria Limited, A.Y. Maikifi Petroleum, and Ammas Oil & Gas Limited were used to award fictitious contracts, convert the funds into U.S. dollars, and hand over cash payments that escaped all formal accountability mechanisms. Court records indicated that both personal and corporate accounts linked to Rogo recorded suspicious inflows and outflows amounting to billions of naira, prompting the Federal High Court in Kano to order the permanent forfeiture of ₦142.2 million and freeze multiple bank accounts tied to the scandal.
The League warned that these revelations are not isolated incidents but part of a growing pattern of abuse of public office, institutional decay, and unchecked impunity. It said the implications of these developments are profound and dangerous, with a collapse of public trust in elected leaders, a decline in investor confidence, the erosion of partnerships with development agencies, the weakening of democratic institutions, and increasing disenfranchisement among the youth. According to the group, the people of Kano who had voted for change are now faced with betrayal of their mandate, and unless urgent action is taken, the credibility of governance in the state will be severely compromised.
In its statement, the League called on the Kano State Government to act swiftly by suspending all officials implicated in the scandals, cooperating fully with ongoing investigations, and ensuring prosecution of those found guilty. It also demanded a comprehensive forensic audit of all government ministries, departments, and agencies, improved legislative oversight, greater financial transparency through the publication of quarterly financial reports, legal protection for whistleblowers, and institutionalised engagement with credible civil society groups to restore accountability. The coalition rejected the current strategy of using political loyalists and praise-singers to launder the image of the government, warning that such tactics only deepen public disillusionment and erode legitimacy.
Kano State, the League said, now faces a critical decision point: to confront corruption boldly or risk institutional collapse and the mortgaging of its future. The coalition vowed not to remain silent in the face of what it called “glaring challenges,” pledging to continue monitoring, advocating, and mobilising until transparency and justice are fully entrenched in the governance of the state.
The League of Civil Society Organizations in Kano State is a coalition of non-governmental organizations committed to promoting accountability, transparency, and inclusive development. It brings together a diverse network of groups working across sectors such as education, health, governance, human rights, and humanitarian response. The League serves as a unified voice for the marginalised, a watchdog for democratic institutions, and a catalyst for sustainable development in Kano State.
The statement was endorsed by leaders of 20 civil society organizations across the state, including representatives of Wuro Development Concerns, Centre for Human Rights and Social Advancement, African Centre for Innovative Research and Development, Youth and Environmental Development Association, Civil Society Organization for Conflict Resolution in Nigeria, United Action for Democracy, Youth Empowerment and Human Development Initiative, Campaign for Democracy, Joint Action Front, Pay it Forward Initiative, Nigerian Environmental Society, Rule of Law and Justice Advancement Network, Gender Support and Youth Empowerment Initiative, Centre for Legal Orientation and Humanitarian Aid, Publish What You Pay, Rise Up Youth Initiative, Centre for Awareness Reorientation and Empowerment, Frontier for Gender Advocacy and Accountability, Centre for Gender and Social Inclusion, and Community-Based Equal Justice Initiative.
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