Governor suspends commissioner over alleged affair with married woman

Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has suspended Auwal Sankara, the state commissioner for special duties, over an alleged affair with a married woman.

The Kano State Hisbah Board said Sankara was nabbed at an uncompleted building over an alleged illicit affair with a married woman in Kano.

In a reaction to the allegation, the commissioner, in a statement denied and 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.

Bala Ibrahim, secretary to the Jigawa state government, in a statement on Saturday, 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.”

THE FIVE-MEMBER PANEL

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.

According to the state government, the allegations led to “significant embarrassment and degradation to the reputation” of the government.