Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has suspended the state’s commissioner for health, Yunusa Isma’il, following allegations of negligence and growing public anger over deteriorating healthcare services.
The suspension, announced Thursday by the Secretary to the State Government, Yakubu Bala Tafida, takes immediate effect. Mr. Idris directed the commissioner to explain why he should not face further sanctions for what officials described as a failure to discharge his duties.
“The Executive Governor has instructed the suspended Commissioner for Health to justify why further sanctions should not be applied, having disregarded the mandate entrusted to him,” Mr. Tafida said in the statement.
The decision follows weeks of mounting criticism of Kebbi’s health sector. Last month, a journalist, Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa, was detained after sharing a widely circulated video that showed patients at Kangiwa General Hospital lying on bare metal frames without mattresses.
The images drew outrage and intensified debate about the state government’s handling of healthcare.
The Idris administration has cast the suspension as part of a broader effort to instill discipline in public service. Since taking office, the governor has repeatedly vowed to hold officials accountable for negligence.
Still, the action underscores the growing pressure on state leaders to address the stark decline in medical facilities and services, an issue that has fueled public frustration across Kebbi.