A report by the State Security Service (SSS) has revealed that the embattled Kano State Commissioner for Transport, Ibrahim Namadi, collected a $30,000 bribe from a notorious drug baron, Sulaiman Danwawu, to stand as his surety in court, Daily Nigerian Reports.
The SSS investigation alleged that Namadi received the money before agreeing to act as surety for Danwawu, who has been on the radar of security agencies for drug-related crimes.
A source within the agency confirmed that a recommendation has been sent to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to dismiss the commissioner over what officials describe as a betrayal of public trust.
Namadi, who was previously declared wanted for fraud and prosecuted in 2013, was appointed under pressure from Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
A security source said Governor Yusuf was angered by the commissioner’s conduct, calling it “a direct affront to his government’s war on drugs.”
“This is the same government that tracked Danwawu for months and authorized a special operation to arrest him. Now a cabinet member is standing surety for him? It’s a disgrace,” the source said.
After public outrage, Governor Yusuf set up a panel to investigate the matter and submit its findings within a week.
Despite early plans to sack Namadi, the governor reportedly slowed down after consulting with Mr Kwankwaso, who nominated the commissioner. “The governor’s hands are tied,” a government insider said. “Namadi has a history of scandals, but removing him would risk political tension with Kwankwaso.”
Apart from the bribery issue, Namadi is reportedly at odds with the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, Kabiru Labour, over an alleged monthly N500,000 kickback. He is also accused of sidelining the ministry’s permanent secretary, Abdulmumin Babani, resulting in a backlog of unapproved memos.
“More than 30 memos from the ministry are stuck on the governor’s desk. Some are marked ‘see me,’ others ‘keep in view,’ but none are approved,” said another government source.
In one instance, a proposal for solar-powered tricycles was taken to the State Executive Council without any input from the Transport Ministry.
When reached for comment, Namadi denied all the allegations. “I’m not aware of all these stories. They’re not true,” he said.
Shortly after the conversation, the commissioner for information, Ibrahim Waiya, contacted the reporter and accused him of “harassing” Namadi.
“What kind of journalism is this? Why won’t you let this matter rest?” Waiya asked.
On July 24, Justice M.S. Shu’aibu of the Federal High Court granted bail to Danwawu with conditions that included presenting a serving state commissioner and depositing N5 million. While many believed it would be difficult to find any commissioner willing to take that risk, Namadi stepped forward.
He submitted a sworn affidavit and a formal application to the court on July 18, 2025. The letter addressed to the Deputy Chief Registrar read, “I humbly wish to apply to stand as surety for the Defendant in the above suit (SULAIMAN AMINU), who was granted bail by this Honourable Court in the sum of Three Million Naira only (N3,000,000.00) and one surety in the like sum. Also, the Defendant shall deposit N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) only which shall be placed in an interest-yielding account.”
The letter has now been included in the SSS report and is expected to play a central role as the investigative panel concludes its assignment.
