In a striking revelation, Bala Inuwa, the former Managing Director of the Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), has accused the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission of brazenly flouting a court order by seizing his properties.
Speaking to the press on the 8th of January, 2025, Bala disclosed that the Commission had unlawfully taken control of assets valued in the billions of Naira, even as a High Court ruling was in place prohibiting any action on the properties until a substantive lawsuit was resolved.
Among the assets seized were trailers, fertilizer grinding machines, and various agricultural equipment items crucial to his business operations.
Bala reminded the public of a pivotal suit (No. K/M 1563/2024) filed before Justice Aisha Ya’u, where he, along with co-plaintiff Safiyanu Hamisu, representing Limestone Processing Links, sought justice.
In a ruling on the 19th of August, 2024, the court condemned the respondents for their unlawful actions, including a forced entry into the 2nd applicant’s premises at No. 157 Kumbotso Rasha, Kumbotso Local Government Area, Kano State.
During this invasion, movable property was seized, and police officers were deployed to take control of the premises, barring the applicants, especially the 2nd applicant, from accessing their factory.
The court deemed this conduct illegal and unconstitutional.
According to Bala, the court’s ruling was unequivocal: the respondents’ actions violated the applicants’ constitutional rights under Section 44 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended). It directed the immediate removal of police officers from the premises and the restoration of full access to the applicants.
Despite this ruling, Bala revealed that the respondents continued to defy the court’s decision.
He subsequently obtained an interim injunction preventing further interference with his property, ensuring that the respondents, police, and the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission ceased all actions until the motion was fully heard.
Additionally, the court granted permission for the applicants to serve the court orders to the respondents and affirmed that the status quo should be maintained.
However, Barrister Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, Chairman of the State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, swiftly rejected the allegations.
He claimed that the orders obtained by Bala were default judgments and could not stand up to legal scrutiny. Rimin Gado further argued that since the interim orders had expired in 2024, they were no longer valid.
He explained that some of the orders specifically pertained to police officers assigned to the company, and since they had been withdrawn, the Commission was free to proceed with its duties.
“In light of this,” he continued, “we have engaged personnel from the Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) as our enforcement agents, operating under the powers vested in us by Section 58 of the Commission’s Laws.”