A coalition of 130 civil society groups has called on the Federal Government to declare former chairman, Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission (PACPCC),
Muhuyi Gado Ramingado, a national anti-corruption hero.
The coalition, under the auspices of Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), described Ramingado as one of Nigeria’s most outstanding anti-corruption fighter who risked his life for the good of Nigerians, but has been facing threat to life from politicians who seem desperate to eliminate him.
The NHRC called for immediate halt to the harassment, intimidation and humiliation of the former PACC Chairman, urging the Federal Government to stop all trials instigated against him for his stance against corruption, adding that the Police should stop the surveillance placed on him and his family by suspected corrupt officials.
At a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, NHRC said Ramingado is currently being hunted for exposing scandalous sleaze running into billions of naira being the fall-out of the mismanagement of Kano State public funds.
Speaking at the event on Thursday, NHRC Deputy President, Babatunde Adeleke, said the Nigerian civil rights groups are deeply concerned about the threat to the life of Ramingado and his family, having exposed stupendous corruption perpetrated by politically exposed persons in Kano State.
The NHRC said by declaring him a national hero, the Federal Government would have inspired millions of Nigerians who are shocked that a man of conscience can be so hunted for speaking the truth.
The group said Kano State represents the commercial hub of northern Nigeria and by far the richest state in the North, yet with a high rate of school drop-outs and poor access to health, partly due to official corruption.
The group said during his tenure, he launched an intensive investigation into public finances based on complaints he received from the public.
“He did his job diligently and in good faith to God and to mankind. In the process, he discovered corruption running into over N20b. He did not allow himself to be politically influenced. He continued with his work as a dedicated and loyal servant of the people.’
The PCACC was established in April 2005 to fight corruption in Kano State” Adeleke said.
The NHRC disclosed that a forthnight ago, armed men bundled Ramingado into a vehicle where he was sandwiched between armed policemen who drove all nightfrom Kano to Abuja in order to gag him, arguing that If armed bandits had attacked the convoy, there was only a slim chance that Ramingado would have escaped.
The rights group said the gross mismanagement of public funds he discovered were linked to the outright stealing of the state’s Internationally Generated Revenue, (IGR).
Adeleke further said that those responsible for the stealing made every effort to bribe him, but when that failed, they started to force and blackmail him to retreat, but his good conscience prevailed.
The group said being a principled servant of the people, the Kano State Government decided to sack him, even without due process, adding that the accusation against him was that he had the courage to investigate cases of corruption involving government officials.
“Since his dismissal by the Kano State Government, his life has been in serious danger. Day and night, he and his family are hunted and threatened with death”, Adeleke said.
The NHRC urged the Federal Government to recall that Ramingado has said that fighting corruption was like confronting the Columbia drug cartel.
In Columbia, the Medlein Cartel led by Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel dominated cocaine trafficking leading Columbia to vast illicit wealth of the few which promoted corruption, violence, mass public revenge and prolonged bloody gun fights with the authorities.
“We hereby draw the attention of the world to the consistent persecution of one of Nigeria’s most outstanding whistleblowers, Muhuyi Gado Ramingado. They are planning to silence him. We don’t want him to be killed. The world need to rise up in defence of Ramingado”, the coalition said.
The rights group noted that the story began with the creation of the anti-corruption commission in Kano, an idea it described as novel.
“While the EFCC investigates series of corruption cases, it is obvious that the EFCC and the ICPC cannot handle all the various vases of corruption in the country.
“This was the idea behind having state level anti-corrutpion agencies. The Government of Kano led the way by establishing the commission at the state level.
“Currently, he is being persecuted and hunted by the various government authorities and powerful individuals, mostly, politically exposed persons. .
“The cases he started investigating in Kano involved billions of public funds diverted by public officials. It is clear now that politically exposed persons are desperate to kill him in order to sit comfortably on stolen funds. This was why he said fighting corruption was like the battle against drug cartels in Colombia. Corruption cannot be fought effectively when law enforcement agents are compromised by the same corrupt politicians who have no respect for accountability” NHRC said.
The group called on the Federal Government to strengthen the anti-corruption laws to empower whistle blowers.
The NHRC observes that some policemen are currently being used against him by powerful, but stupendously corrupt politicians who feed on the misery of the toiling masses, saying “We are deeply concerned that the Police initiated criminal investigation into a judicial process, contrary to Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution and that it is pre-judicial for the police to hunt and malice someone who has filed corrupt charges on behalf of the State against politicians that consistently ruin the frontiers of democracy and human prosperity.”
The police, the group contended, have no legal or moral reasons to enquire about what is already before the Court of Law, especially a criminal matter.
“Today, corruption remains one of the most dangerous threats to human and environmental development in Nigeria. Corruption undermines the integrity of the country and stunts the greatness of Nigeria. It promotes poverty, hunger, starvation and unprecedented human misery.
Corruption is partly responsible for terrorism and the geo-metric increase in violence and banditry spreading across Nigeria like the speed of light. Lack of honesty and transparency in Nigeria has compounded the growth and development of democracy in Africa’s largest democracy and the biggest configuration of black people all over the world. Corruption continues to compromise the integrity of Nigeria making the country the least attractable destination for foreign investors.
“It is estimated that Nigeria loses some $18 billion annually to corruption. These are related to financial crimes in public and private procurement, contracts for construction works, kickbacks by private and public individuals and corporate institutions. It is believed that Nigeria loses not less than $15 billion annually to illicit financial flows while corruption in cash bribes is put at some N721 billion. These were paid to public officials in the year 2023 alone.
“In Nigeria, experts put the percentage of Nigeria GDP that could be lost to corruption at some 37% of Nigeria’s GDP by the year 2030”, the group concluded.
