Fresh revelations have emerged in Kano State’s growing corruption scandal, as Bureau de Change (BDC) operators have implicated Abdullahi Rogo, the Director-General of Protocol to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in an alleged N6.5 billion fraud currently under investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are probing claims that Mr Rogo masterminded the diversion of billions of naira belonging to the Kano State Government, funnelling the funds through shell companies, bureau de change operators, and personal accounts.
In separate statements to investigators, two BDC operators detailed how they were allegedly used as conduits to convert public funds into foreign currency.
One of them, Gali Muhammad, said Mr Rogo personally contacted him to source dollars, while Nasiru Adamu, managing director of Kazo Nazo and Namu Nakune, disclosed that his companies received ₦1.17 billion directly from Kano State’s Federation Account Allocation on November 9, 2023.
Adamu said he handed the dollar equivalent to Muhammad, who then delivered the cash to Mr Rogo at the Kano Liaison Office in Asokoro, Abuja.
Muhammad corroborated this claim, admitting that he personally handed over $1 million in cash to the governor’s aide—an action investigators described as a clear violation of Nigeria’s Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The alleged fraud trail also led to the then Kano State Accountant General, Abdussalam Abdulkadir, who investigators say authorised the controversial payments.
Documents sighted by ICPC suggest that Abdulkadir facilitated the transfers using fabricated letters of authority purportedly signed by two firms—A.Y. Mai Kifi Oil and Gas Ltd and Ammas Petroleum Company Ltd.
The companies’ managing directors later admitted the contracts were fictitious and signed under Abdulkadir’s instructions. Investigators believe both men worked in concert to launder state funds.
Following months of investigation, the ICPC secured a court order in May 2025 for the forfeiture of ₦142 million traced to Rogo, after no claimant came forward.
To date, the agency has recovered ₦1.3 billion linked to the governor’s aide, including funds traced to alleged front companies and his personal accounts.
Records also revealed that one of Rogo’s corporate accounts with Alternative Bank received inflows of ₦3.07 billion between August 2024 and February 2025, with ₦2.6 billion in outflows.
By February 10, 2025, the account balance stood at ₦142.2 million, which was later forfeited to the Federal Government.
Another Zenith Bank account in Rogo’s name recorded inflows of ₦2.28 billion within three years. Both accounts have since been frozen.
Despite mounting evidence, the Kano State Government has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated attempts to discredit Governor Abba Yusuf’s administration.
In a statement, the government maintained that all financial transactions across ministries, departments, and agencies were duly budgeted and accounted for.
It also defended the Directorate of Protocol’s role in handling logistics and welfare arrangements for the governor and visiting dignitaries.
“The so-called transactions under probe are not peculiar to Kano State. They are standard practices across states and the federal government,” the government insisted.
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