Kano Commissioner Under Fire After Standing Surety for Alleged Drug Kingpin With ₦8M Bail Commitment
In a development that has sparked public outcry, Kano State Commissioner for Transport, Ibrahim Namadi, has officially stood as surety for an alleged drug trafficker, Sulaiman Aminu Danwawu. The move follows a Federal High Court ruling in Kano which granted Danwawu bail under strict financial and procedural conditions.
According to court documents obtained by Daily Nigerian, bail was granted to Danwawu on July 17, 2025, under Charge No: FHC/KN/CR/93/2025. The court set bail at ₦3 million, with a mandatory surety who must be a serving commissioner in the Kano State Executive Council. Additionally, the suspect was ordered to deposit ₦5 million to the Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR), to be held in an interest-yielding account.
On July 18, Commissioner Namadi submitted an affidavit swearing his commitment to the court’s conditions. “I undertake to abide by the bail conditions and promise to produce the defendant on all adjourned dates until the case is fully resolved,” Namadi declared, under oath.
His application, alongside two passport photographs each of himself and the defendant, a refundable deposit receipt of ₦5 million, and the affidavit of means, was certified by court authorities in a filing titled Notification for Fulfilment of Bail Conditions.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had earlier described Danwawu as a notorious figure in Kano’s drug trafficking underworld. In May, the NDLEA stated that Danwawu was arrested in a joint operation by the Nigeria Police and was found with large quantities of illicit substances. A follow-up search reportedly uncovered even more illegal drugs.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, said the arrest marked a major win in the fight against drug trafficking in northern Nigeria. Despite the charges, the court granted bail, but ordered Danwawu to be held in correctional custody until further hearings.
Commissioner Namadi’s decision to vouch for a suspect widely regarded as a kingpin in Kano’s drug trade has raised serious questions about the alignment between public officials and criminal elements. Civil society groups have called for a deeper investigation into possible political or financial ties between state officials and organized crime.
