A former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday, finally yielded himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after several summons, reliable sources told FirstNews.
The decision of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s top shot to report at the EFCC office was said to have been taken following threats of arrest by the anti-graft body.
Kwankwaso arrived at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja at about noon on Saturday, it was gathered.
Efforts to seek update from the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, could not sail through as his cellphone was busy throughout, at press time.
Sources in the EFCC revealed that Kwankwaso was quizzed for hours and could pass the night at the EFCC office.
The source added that there were plans also, to arraign the former governor in court, this week.
Kwankwaso is being investigated over a 2015 petition by Concerned Kano State Workers and Pensioners, which alleged that he violated the Kano State Pension and Gratuity Law of 2007 in the management of pension remittances amounting to about N10 billion, contributed between 2011 and 2015.
Kwankwaso was Kano governor between 1999 and 2003, before he returned for his second term from 2011 to 2015.
The 64-year-old also served as the senator representing Kano Central between 2015 and 2019.
According to the petitioners, he had directed that pension remittances be used for housing development, largely to favour the pensioners.
A tripartite deal was later reached between Kano State Pension Trust Funds as the investors and Kano State Investment and Property Limited and Kano State Housing Corporation Limited as developers on a 60:40 sharing ratio.
However, after contracts for the construction of 1,579 houses were awarded for the development of ” Kwankwasiya, Amana, and Bandarawa Cities”, the petitioners alleged, Mr Kwankwaso “manipulated” the process to terminate the term of the agreement and made outright allocations in favour of his aide and cronies.
The alleged manipulation happened in May 2015, the month Mr Kwankwaso left office as Kano’s governor.
However, a close aide to the ex-governor, preferring anonymity, said he had assembled “a strong legal team to await their planned arraignment”.