Umar Namadi, governor of Jigawa, has suspended Auwal Sankara, the state commissioner for special duties, over an alleged affair with a married woman.
On Friday, the Kano state Hisbah board said Sankara was arrested at an uncompleted building over an alleged illicit affair with a married woman in Kano.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement, the commissioner dismissed it as “false, malicious and baseless.”
Sankara vowed to take legal action against those behind the allegations, adding that their aim was to damage his reputation.
In a statement on Saturday, Bala Ibrahim, secretary to the Jigawa state government, said the commissioner would be suspended pending an investigation into the allegations.
“The suspension is a precautionary measure intended to facilitate a fair investigation,” Ibrahim said.
“We take all allegations seriously and are dedicated to upholding the trust of Jigawa citizens in the government.”
In another statement, the state government announced that it has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the allegations against the commissioner.
The committee is to be chaired by the secretary to the Jigawa state government.
Other members are Sagir Ahmed, commissioner for information; Lawal Danzomo, commissioner for basic education; Usman Jahun, special adviser on security matters; and Adamu Garin, private secretary to the governor.
The committee is to submit its report in two weeks time.
The state government said the allegations led to “significant embarrassment and degradation to the reputation” of the government.
