Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arrested the Speaker, Kano
State House of Assembly, Gambo Sallau and 10 other principal officers of
the house.
The PUNCH gathered their arrest
followed a petition over the N25bn supplementary budget presented by the
governor, Rabiu Kwakwanso to the lawmakers on December 5.
There are suspicions that the supplementary budget is a cover up to financial misappropriation.
Kwakwanso recently left the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party with four other governors to join the
opposition party-All Progressives Congress.
The EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent in Abuja.
He said, “It is true they were invited. They are still with us. They were brought in from Kano today (Monday).”
He, however, refused to give details of the arrests and the allegations.
Uwujaren, however, debunked insinuations that the arrest had political undertone.
He said, “It has nothing to do with
politics. The insinuation is unfounded. The EFCC is only performing its
statutory responsibility.”
However, Kwakwanso, has expressed dismay and shock, over the arrest of the state lawmakers.
He alleged that the public officials
were arrested in connection with the budget amendment of 2013 of the
state government, which had already been signed into law by the state
governor.
He said, “It is crystal 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 Kwakwanso.
“This action is obviously to intimidate
and cow them into submission for choosing to move to the progressives’
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.”
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