DRUG BARON BAIL SCANDAL: CALL FOR IMMEDIATE SACKING AND INVESTIGATION OF COMMISSIONER NAMADI
As a concerned citizen of Kano State, I am compelled to publicly call on His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to walk the talk by immediately sacking the Commissioner for Transport, Hon Ibrahim Namadi, following his controversial decision to stand as surety for a suspected illicit drug peddling warlord, Sulaiman Aminu Danwawu.
From the available document, the Hon Commissioner deposed to an affidavit of means and deposited a substantial sum of N5 Million, with the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court to secure the release on bail of the notorious Danwawu, a man widely known in Kano as an infamous figure in the drug trafficking circles. The act of standing surety for such an individual by a member of the State Executive Council underscores the general belief of the public that politicians in high places aid and abet the increasing menace of drug abuse and thuggery in the State.
While standing as surety is not an illegality in itself and is within the right of every individual to stand as surety for any accused person, it has to be emphasised that a commissioner is not a private citizen in the eyes of the law. His actions, by extension, are the actions of the Governor. As a member of the Executive Council, Hon Namadi represents the philosophy of the Kano State Government.
I may not be entirely wrong if I say that no family is not, one way or the other, not affected by the menace of drug abuse. And indeed, it has a connection with the alarming rise in violent thuggery among our youths in the State. The streets of our cities are increasingly unsafe, and much of the insecurity is rooted in the unchecked spread of illicit drugs.
More worrisome is the face-saving statement issued by the Hon Commissioner claiming that he has no personal relationship with the suspect who is now allegedly on the run. The basis for standing surety is that the accused is personally known to the surety. It is a vote of confidence in the suspect standing trial by the surety. He is stating that the accused has a good character. It is based on the assurance that a Court allows the accused to go on bail. Suppose the Commissioner is now saying he does not know the suspect, whom he vouched for as having good character before the court. In that case, the only plausible explanation for this is that the Commissioner deliberately misled the court to pave the way for the accused’s escape, since the consequence is forfeiting only the sum of N5 million. This cannot be far-fetched, going by the careful manner in which the depositions of the commissioner were couched in the affidavit of means by avoiding the use of words that suggest personal knowledge of the suspect.
If, indeed, the commissioner has no personal relationship with the suspect as he claimed, it is now more incumbent on the Commissioner and the Government to explain the source of the ₦5 million deposited to secure the suspect’s bail. This is a matter of transparency and accountability. A commissioner of government cannot discreetly deposit such a large amount of money with the intent to forfeit it to secure the release of a person not known to him. Now that the suspect is reported to have jumped bail, more questions need to be answered.

1. Did the Governor sanction the action of the Commissioner?
2. If the Governor disapproved of the action of the commissioner, why is he still being retained in his position?
3. What is the relationship between the suspect and the commissioner?
4. What is the source of the N5 million naira deposited by the surety?
   Citizens deserve an explanation from the Government, and providing answers to the above may clarify some grey areas in the commissioner’s actions. As it stands now, unless the source of the N5 million is explained and it is proven to be from a legitimate source, a reasonable suspicion of money laundering hangs around the commissioner’s neck. Let Kano State not just be known for symbolic rallies against drugs, but for unwavering accountability in public office, beginning with the highest levels of the government.

Sunusi Musa SAN