Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, has suspended the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, Dr. Nasiru Abubakar Kigo, following controversial comments he made about the LGBTQ population in northern Nigeria.
Dr. Kigo had reportedly delivered a lecture at an Islamic gathering, during which he claimed that Kebbi and Sokoto states had the highest numbers of registered gays and lesbians in the country. His comments were later shared widely on Facebook, sparking outrage and prompting swift denial from the state government.
According to Kigo, census data allegedly showed that Kebbi State had 15,979 registered homosexuals and 18,567 lesbians, while Sokoto State followed with 9,978 homosexuals and 10,456 lesbians—claims the state government described as “fictitious and baseless.”
In response, Governor Idris issued an indefinite suspension for the official. The announcement was made in a statement released on Friday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Idris.
The suspension was further confirmed in a letter from the Kebbi State Head of Service, Malami Shekare, who said Kigo’s remarks violated civil service rules and amounted to “social misconduct.”
“The statement is misleading and unacceptable in a morally decent society,” the letter read. “The official is to remain suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter.”
The state government reiterated its commitment to upholding integrity and distancing itself from unverified and damaging public statements by civil servants.
