The Executive Chairman of the Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission of Kano State, Muhuyi Magaji, is facing a series of charges brought by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal. The charges, outlined in Charge No: CCT/KN/01/2023, span false asset declarations and allegations of financial misconduct.
Magaji is accused of intentionally omitting and refusing to declare several bank accounts in his asset declaration forms submitted between 2015 and 2022. The charges specify three accounts maintained with Sterling Bank, United Bank for Africa, and First Bank for Africa. These alleged omissions are said to contravene the constitutional provisions outlined in the Fifth Schedule Part 1 to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
Furthermore, Magaji is facing charges related to substantial sums deposited in his bank accounts after his asset declarations in 2015 and 2022. The charges assert that he received over N123 million in Zenith Bank Account and N192 million in Sterling Bank Account, amounts not fairly attributable to his income, gifts, or loans, thus violating the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
The charges also include allegations of receiving benefits from the Secretary to the Government of Kano State, Baffa Abdullahi Bichi, in the amounts of N1.5 million and N4.7 million in July 2023. These transactions are said to violate Section 10(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
Magaji is further accused of putting himself in a position of conflicting interests by approving professional audit fees that exceeded the submitted amount. The charges specify a payment of N1,766,666.06 to Messrs Salihu Metala & Co, while the submitted fee was N600,000 per annum. This alleged violation is stated to contravene Section 5 and Section 13 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
The former Executive Chairman is also charged with receiving over N69 million in his Sterling Bank Account between 2018 and 2023, not fairly attributable to his declared income, gifts, or loans.
Muhuyi Magaji is set to face the tribunal to respond to these serious allegations, with potential legal consequences outlined in Section 23(1) and (2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
