The Kebbi State House of Assembly has taken decisive action against alleged corruption at the local government level by suspending the Chairman of Fakai Local Government Council, Hon. Muhammad S/Fawa. The suspension, approved on Wednesday, 20th November 2025, comes after the adoption of a damning report from a Special Investigative Committee.
Investigation Uncovers Evidence of Corruption
The assembly established a Special Committee, chaired by Alhaji Salihu Dangoje, to probe allegations of gross misconduct, breach of trust, and theft of council properties against the chairman. While presenting the findings, Hon. Dangoje revealed that the committee uncovered concrete evidence of the chairman's involvement in the misappropriation of five electrical transformers. These transformers, meant to be sold at N2.5 million each, were allegedly diverted.
The committee discovered that the chairman initially claimed the transformers were taken for servicing with permission from a KEDCO official. However, this official failed to appear before the committee to corroborate the story. It was later gathered that the chairman admitted to the misappropriation, and evidence of fund transfers into accounts linked to the transaction was found.
Illegal Farmlands and Phantom Dam Contract
Beyond the transformers, the investigation exposed serious irregularities in the allocation of farmlands. The committee's findings were so severe that they led to a recommendation for the immediate revocation of these illegal allocations.
Another significant discovery concerned the Mahuta Dam rehabilitation project. The committee noted inconsistencies in the chairman's claim that the contract was awarded to ZBCC company. A project engineer from ZBCC refuted this, stating that the company was never awarded any contract and that their equipment was only hired for supervision purposes. Despite this, the committee found no evidence of a contract award, even though the contract sum had been paid.
Assembly's Resolution and Recommendations
Based on these findings, the committee made several key recommendations that were adopted by the House. The most prominent is the suspension of the chairman for six months, a recommendation that has been forwarded to the Kebbi State Governor for approval. During this period, the vice chairman is to take over the council's administration.
Other recommendations include the immediate commencement of the Mahuta Dam rehabilitation project and the formal revocation of the illegally allocated farmlands. In a positive note, the committee also recommended a commendation letter for the NSCDC Divisional Officer in Fakai for demonstrating professionalism in handling the transformer incident.
The motion for the chairman's suspension was moved by Muhammad Buhari Aliero and seconded by Alhaji Nura Kangiwa. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Usman, subsequently announced the resolution, confirming that the suspension takes immediate effect.
