Kano State House of Assembly demands police protection for witnesses as it probes Ganduje's bribery case

MEMBERS of the Kano State House of Assembly have asked for police protection for all its members witnesses they will summon to testify in the investigation against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje amid fears that anyone coming forward may be at risk.

Earlier this week, the Kano State House of Assembly set up a seven-man ad hoc committee to investigate the authenticity of a video clip in which Governor Ganduje was seen receiving a bribe from a contractor. Over the last week, the video, originally published by online media platform Daily Nigerian, has gone viral, showing the governor receiving wads of dollars from a man said to be a contractor and stuffing them into his clothing in what critics say was a bribe to secure a government contract.

Governor Ganduje has dismissed the video as fake and as a forgery but to get to the bottom of the matter, the Kano State House of Assembly has decided to act and ascertain the truth. Members of the committee constituted by the speaker, Alhassan Rurum, include chairman Baffa Dan’Agundi, secretary Mujtafa Amin, Ayuba Labaran, Abubakar Galadima, Garba Yau Gwarmai, Garba Gafasa and Zubairu Masu.

Committee chairman, Hon Baffa Dan’Agundi, led a visit to the Kano State police commissioner Rabi’u Yusuf yesterday to seek security for lawmakers and witnesses during the sittings. He added that the committee had decided to make its sittings public and as such, the security of everyone involved is required.

Hon Dan'Agundi said: “We have decided to make our investigation open so that the general public will be convinced about the findings of the committee. We don’t want a situation where by a member of the committee or witness will be humiliated or intimidated.”

Raising a matter of urgent public importance on Monday, the member of the assembly representing Warawa Constituency, Hon Labaran Madari, urged it to investigate the authenticity of the videos and take measures. He added that the videos had brought the institution of governance in the state to disrepute and therefore, the need for the legislators to take urgent action.