The fight against corruption in Nigeria is as dangerous as fighting armed Colombian drug cartels, former Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, has said.

The Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel dominated cocaine trafficking, leading Colombia to vast illicit wealth for the few whose crimes promoted corruption, violence, mass public revenge, and prolonged bloody gunfights with the authorities. The PCACC was established in April 2005 to fight corruption in Kano State.

Mr. Magaji also warned that the increase in violence and banditry in the North is partly linked to the naked abuse and stealing of public funds by corrupt officials whose self-serving policies create a stagnant pool of poverty and human misery from which criminals find many potential recruits.

He said it was when he started investigating corruption petitions, doing his statutory duties, that he discovered the suspect companies were linked to his former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, discovering that a lot of Public-Private Partnership Initiatives were actually linked to the former Governor. He said he also discovered billions of illicit funds relating to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), especially concerning fraudulent land rents.

The anti-corruption crusader said his experience while investigating an avalanche of corruption cases in Kano indicated that corrupt politicians are like cancerous ailments that should be removed through a painful but necessary surgical operation before Nigeria can reclaim her pride in the comity of nations.

He said Nigerians should explore democratic opportunities to the brim by casting their votes against a league of corrupt elites that have sold the birthrights of the people.

He said his decision to investigate the looting of billions of public funds in Kano State under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje spurred ceaseless threats to his life and that of his family, culminating in his arrest last week Friday by tens of armed security guards who drove him from Kano to Abuja in the night where he was locked up. He said for 17 hours he and his family were subjected to harrowing experiences. He said the armed men bundled him into a vehicle where he was sandwiched between armed policemen who drove in the night from Kano to Abuja in order to gag him. He said if armed bandits had attacked the convoy, there was only a slim chance that any of them would escape.

“The cases I started investigating in Kano involved billions of public funds diverted by public officials. They are desperate to kill in order to sit on stolen funds. They are as dangerous as drug cartels in Colombia. Fighting them is like fighting drug lords.”

He said corruption cannot be fought effectively when law enforcement agents are compromised by the same corrupt politicians who have no respect for accountability.

Rimin Gado said some policemen are currently being used against him by powerful but stupendously corrupt politicians who feed on the misery of the toiling masses. He said he was deeply concerned that the Police initiated criminal investigation into a judicial process, duly initiated under Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution, and that it is prejudicial for the police to hunt and malign someone who has filed corruption charges on behalf of the State against politicians that consistently ruin the frontiers of democracy and human prosperity.

“I was given fiat by the Attorney General to prosecute allegations of offenses against the laws of Kano State. Why arrest me for doing what I have a legal duty to do? Why not arrest the State if they can?

“The police have no legal or moral reasons to enquire about what is already before the Court of Law, especially a criminal matter which the court had already taken cognizance of,” he said.

He spoke as a Keynote Speaker on the topic Youth as Catalyst of Integrity: Building a Corruption-Free Future for Nigeria, at the Public Presentation of the 19th Edition of the Compendium on 100 Profile Corruption Cases in Nigeria held in Lagos on Tuesday. The event was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) in partnership with local and international groups to mark this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day celebration. The theme of the conference was Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.

Rimin Gado said from his experience in Kano, corrupt politicians are as vicious as the world’s most violent drug lords who are prepared to kill and burn the country down rather than face justice or give up their crimes. He said prosperity and development in Nigeria would remain stunted as long as corrupt actors dominate the political economy.

Arrangements have been completed for the successful conduct of the 41st Annual General Meeting of Birnin-Kudu Old Boys Association (BIKOBA), the umbrella body of the Old Students of the famous Government Unity College, Birnin-Kudu (formerly Government College, Birnin-Kudu), Jigawa State.

The event, scheduled to take place on Saturday, the 13th of December, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Assembly Hall of the College, will feature a public lecture to be delivered by Alhassan Mohammed, an Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The lecture, titled “Enhancing Career Development Through Information Technology”, will focus on the importance of acquiring information technology skills, and the appropriate and effective use of its tools for efficient career building in the digital age.

Pharmacist Hashim Ubale Yusuf will chair the occasion, with the Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Umar Namadi, FCA, as Special Guest of Honour, while former Governors of Kano and Jigawa States, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (CON) and Alhaji Sule Lamido (CON), will serve as Guests of Honour, respectively.

Additionally, prominent members of BIKOBA, such as the richest man in Africa and President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Senator Mustafa Habeeb representing Jigawa Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, and many distinguished personalities from all walks of life produced by the College, are expected to grace the occasion.

His Highness, the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, CFR, JP, who is also an alumnus of the College, will be the Royal Father of the Day, while the Chief Host of the event will be the National President of BIKOBA, Alhaji Ja’afar Usman Muhammad (Turakin Gaya).

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of BIKOBA, Mahmud Ibrahim Kwari, said major highlights of the AGM include awards presentation to deserving distinguished personalities, as well as the ratification and approval of an audited account report containing financial transactions of the Association in the outgoing year, by the General Assembly.

Government officials, members of traditional institutions, community leaders, officials of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA), School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), as well as members and friends of the BIKOBA family, are expected to fully attend the historic annual event.

Marketers and participants at the just-concluded Kano International Trade Fair have endorsed the newly unveiled Dangote Sugar packs, describing them as convenient, consumer-friendly, and well-suited for both household use and retailing.

Dangote Sugar recently unveiled new pack sizes, including 100g sachets and 25kg bags aimed at increasing affordability and market penetration.

“The Dangote new sugar packs will greatly make more affordable to the average northern population,” a monarch who participated in the Fair, Alhaji Isyaku Umar Tofa, Makaman Bichi, told newsmen on the sideline of the company’s Special Day.

According to him, the redesigned and reasonably priced packs will enable more households, small retailers, and food vendors to access quality sugar without financial strain, thereby supporting both daily consumption needs and small-scale commercial activities.

Reacting, prominent businessman and Chief Executive of Sambajo General Enterprises Limited, Alhaji Salisu Sambajo said the 25kg pack is ideal for SMEs, bakeries, restaurants and distributors who require bulk but affordable quantities, making it easier for them to access quality sugar without high upfront costs.

On the other hand, he said, the 100g pack targets low-income households, retail kiosks, and on-the-go consumers.

“Together, these new pack sizes broaden our reach across all consumer segments, improve product visibility in open markets and retail outlets, and ultimately enhance our market share in the North.”

Dangote is one of the major sponsors of the Kano Trade Fair, with the theme: Empowering SMEs for Sustainable Growth.

He said the Dangote Group’s continuous investment in critical sectors such as sugar, petroleum, cement, fertilizers and more which has tremendously supported national development and improved livelihoods.

Alhaji Sambajo urged Dangote to maintain this commitment to quality, innovation, and local empowerment, especially across northern communities.

“Alhaji Aliko’s contributions remain invaluable, and we look forward to more breakthroughs that will support Nigeria’s growth and self-reliance,” he said.

He added that government should continue to create an enabling environment for large-scale industrialists like the Dangote Group.

“We need a supportive policy on transportation, taxation, energy supply, and ease of doing business to allow these industries to operate optimally and remain competitive,” he said.

A female trader from Maiduguri, Hajiya Y’agana Babagana, who participated in the Kano International Trade Fair, described the company’s initiative to introduce affordable 100g and 25kg sugar packs as a welcome development for consumers.

“I sell locally made incense, known as turaren wuta, and sugar is an essential ingredient in producing it, you simply cannot make turaren wuta without sugar,” Y’agana explained. She spoke enthusiastically about the new range of Dangote Sugar, adding, “You can see why we flocked to the Dangote pavilion to buy, especially the 25kg pack.”