A former Kano State High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Kabiru Mamman Auta has been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on allegations bordering on criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery.
Auta was arrested by operatives of the Commission on Tuesday 14th November, 2017 when he was invited for interrogation on allegations that he had conspired with some other persons to defraud a Kano businessman, Alhaji Bashir Sani Kwangila Yakasai (SKY) of the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Million Naira (N220,000,000).
The matter was referred to the Commission after it had been reported to the National Judicial Council which had constituted a committee to investigate the allegations. The amount involved had been fraudulently obtained from Alhaji Yakasai by Hon. Justice Auta and his accomplice Bashir Sufi, on the pretext that they were acting on behalf of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloma Mukhtar. Justice Auta in his statement to the Commission had disclosed that he had paid Twenty Million Naira (N20, 000,000) as part repayment to Alhaji Yakasai during the course of the matter.
Hon. Justice Auta was released from detention on administrative bail, while further investigation into the matter continues.