Five former cabinet members the Kano State Government on Friday filed a suit at the National Industrial Court following the forceful recovery of their official vehicles.
The plaintiffs, including Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso (former Commissioner for Youth and Sports and son of NNPP leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), are challenging the actions of the state’s Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The group resigned en masse following Governor Abba Yusuf’s high-profile defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party to the All Progressives Congress.
The five commissioners, Nasiru Sule Garo (Special Duties), AVM Ibrahim Umar (Internal Security), Adamu Aliyu Kibiya (Humanitarian Affairs), Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata (Science and Technology), and Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso (Youth and Sports), resigned shortly after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf defected from the NNPP to the APC.
Documents obtained by Daily Trust showed that AVM Umar, who served as Commissioner for Internal Security before resigning in January, filed suit NICN/KN/14/2026 against the Attorney General of Kano State and two others.
His lawyers alleged that operatives of the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) forcibly entered his residence on February 26, disturbing his family and seizing his vehicle.
The claimant is demanding the immediate return of the vehicle and disclosure of those involved in the raid.
In a separate press release signed by Umar on behalf of the affected ex-Commissioners, the group accused the government of “vindictive attitude” and intimidation.
They argued that under the Revised 2023 Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission Act, official vehicles are part of the entitlements of political officeholders.
The statement recalled that a former transport commissioner who resigned earlier, Ibrahim Ali Namadi, was allowed to retain his vehicle, insisting that they too should enjoy similar privileges.
They allege that government agents not only seized official vehicles but also evacuated personal cars belonging to their spouses while they were away from home.
“Our personal liberty and sanctity of our family members were grossly violated,” the statement read, describing the move as an attempt to embarrass and silence opposition voices.
The PCACC Chairman, Saidu Yahaya, had earlier confirmed that the recovery exercise was backed by a court order after the ex-commissioners ignored directives to return the vehicles.
But the former officials insist the matter must be resolved through judicial interpretation, urging their supporters to remain calm.
The development adds to the political tension in Kano, where Governor Yusuf’s defection and subsequent cabinet resignations have deepened divisions between the ruling APC and Kwankwasiyya loyalists.
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