Kebbi Assembly suspends Fakai LG chairman over transformers, land

The Kebbi State House of Assembly has suspended Muhammad Mahuta, Chairman of Fakai Local Government Area, over allegations of gross misconduct and negligence of duty. The decision followed the adoption of a report by the House Special Committee, chaired by Salihu Dangoje, during Wednesday’s plenary in Birnin Kebbi.

Presenting the report, Dangoje said the committee investigated claims involving the removal and attempted sale of five electrical transformers, illegal allocation of government farmlands, and irregularities in the rehabilitation of Mahuta Dam.

He explained that Mahuta initially claimed the transformers were taken for servicing with permission from a KEDCO official, Malam Nasir, who did not appear before the committee. However, on November 14, Mahuta admitted involvement in the misappropriation, revealing that the transformers were intended to be sold to one Alhaji Kabiru Dauda at N2.5 million each. The committee also traced fund transfers linked to the illegal transaction.

Regarding the farmlands, the committee discovered irregularities by council officials that led to unlawful allocations and recommended immediate revocation. On the Mahuta Dam project, Dangoje said no company had been officially awarded the contract despite payments, contradicting the chairman’s claims. The project engineer of ZBCC, allegedly involved, confirmed he only supervised hired equipment and had no contract with the council.

The committee found Mahuta guilty of gross misconduct and recommended a six-month suspension. Additional recommendations include immediate resumption of the Mahuta Dam rehabilitation, revocation of the unlawfully allocated farmlands, and a commendation for the NSCDC Divisional Officer in Fakai for professionalism in handling the transformer incident.

The suspension motion was moved by Muhammad Buhari (APC–Aliero) and seconded by Nura Kangiwa (APC–Arewa). Speaker Muhammad Usman announced that the suspension takes immediate effect.