Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has finally set up a commission of inquiry to probe the abductions of nine Kano children who were kidnapped by an Igbo criminal gang that, also renamed and converted the kids to Christianity.
Mr Ganduje formed the committee on Friday, just three days after Kano Focus exclusively reported that the governor was searching for capable people to lead the committee.
Kano Focus reports that the Kano Police Command had rescued nine missing children and paraded six Igbo persons who have confessed to abducting the kids, renaming and forcefully converting them to Christianity before selling them in Onitsha, Anambra state.
In a statement, Abba Anwar, chief press secretary to the governor, said Mr Ganduje appointed retired justice Wada Umar Rano to head the Commission of Inquiry which would be inaugurated on 31st October, 2019.
The statement said the committee is expected to among other objectives, “conduct an inquiry into cases of missing persons in Kano State from the year 2010 to date and to procure all such evidence, written or oral, and to examine all such persons as witnesses as the commissioners may think it necessary or desirable to procure or examine.”
Other terms of references of the panel are: “To summon any person in Nigeria to attend any meeting of the commissioners to give evidence or produce any document or other thing in his possession and to require the evidence (whether written or oral) of any witness to be made on oath or declaration, such oath or declaration.
“To admit or exclude the public or any member of the public or press from any hearing of the commission, to prepare comprehensive data of missing persons in Kano State within the period and circumstances in which they disappeared”.
The committee is also mandated “to find out both immediate and remote causes of cases of missing persons and to prepare and submit a written report including findings and recommendations to the Government of Kano State.”
Mr Anwar noted in the statement that Mr Ganduje was empowered to form such panel under “Section 2 of the Commissions of Inquiry Law, [CAP. 29], Laws of Kano State, 1990, and of all powers enables the governor to institute this and similar Commissions of Inquiry.”
“It is on this premise that the governor said as ‘…the Governor of Kano State, do hereby notify the general public of the appointment of the persons named in the schedule hereto as commissioners with authority to hold a Commission of Inquiry into cases of missing persons in Kano State, from the year 2010 to 2019 with effect from 30th October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019.’,” the statement said.
Mr Ganduje also warned that his administration “takes this callous and heinous crime as a serious security challenge, that shall not be tolerated to continue and no stone shall be left unturned.”
“The Commission is set to hear from the victims or their relatives, collect evidence both written and oral, visits sites (as the case may be), find both immediate and remote causes and make recommendations to the Government for proper action, in order to eradicate such wicked act,” he said.
Source: kanofocus.com
