The whereabouts of the Kano-based suspected drug baron Suleiman Aminu Danwawu is unknown after his surety, Kano State Transport Commissioner, Ibrahim Namadi, applied to the court to withdraw his bail bond.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reliably understands that Namadi had applied to the Federal High Court Kano on Friday, seeking to withdraw as a surety to the suspected drug lord after public outrage.
The commissioner had earlier stood as a surety to Danwawu, leading to his release from prison on bail.
This newspaper reliably gathered that Mr Namadi took security officers to the residence of Danwawu on Friday night only to find the house empty and locked.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that Mr Danwawu resides in Tudun Yola Quarters in Kano city.
A security officer who confided in this newspaper said the suspected baron “left the house around 3:42 am on Friday morning. He didn’t return to the house ever since.”
The security officer, who declined being named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter said, “As I am speaking to you now, we are in front of Danwawu’s residence. His gate men said the house has been locked since around 3:42 am today (Friday) when he left. He must have escaped.”
Sources inside Tudun Yola quarters told one of our reporters that after inquiries from the security officers manning the estate’s gates, they confirmed that they saw him leaving the quarters before dawn on Friday.
“The Civil Defence (Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps) officers manning our gates confirmed that he left the estate through ‘Gate D’ around 3:40 in the morning,” another source said.
“The commissioner’s withdrawal is an afterthought. The suspect must have left the country by now,” one of the security officials conversant with the matter, said.
“He may be in Niger Republic by now. It is very unlikely for Danwawu to stay in the Nigeria because of the sensitivity of the case he is facing,” another source familiar with the issue said.
Mr Namadi announced his withdrawal from the case through a letter submitted to the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court on Friday.
In the letter, the commissioner said, “I hereby intend to withdraw as a surety of the above mentioned person who is standing trial before this honourable court of the alledge offence.
“My withdrawal is based on personal grounds and also to protect my image and dignity as a public servant.
I hope my application will be considered accordingly.”
However, when contacted Friday night, NDLEA’s spokesperson in Kano, Sadiq Maigatari, told one of our reporters that he was not aware of the commissioner’s withdrawal.
“I just saw the letter on social media like any other person. You know, the case is now before a court. We arrested and arraigned the suspect and the court remanded him in prison custody before he was released on bail,” Maigatari said by telephone.
A legal practitioner, Haruna Magashi, told this newspaper Friday night that the court would approve Mr Namadi’s withdrawal as a surety after he produces Danwawu.
“What Mr Namadi wrote was an application for withdrawal as a surety to the defendant. The court would approve the application after the surety returns the suspect to court,” the lawyer said.
Mr Magashi said technically it is not over for the Kano commissioner. “The defendant must be returned to court for the bail bond to be successfully withdrawn, Barrister Magashi said.
The case, titled Federal Republic of Nigeria vs. Sulaiman Aminu (Charge No. FHC/KN/CR/93/2025), involves allegations of drug-related offences.
This newspaper reports on May 21 how the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) filed an eight-count charge bordering on drug trafficking at the Federal High Court Kano against Mr Danwawu.
He was arraigned on May 28.
The case was adjourned to June 16, 2025 for the hearing of the bail application.
Danwawu was subsequently remanded in prison custody before his eventual release.
