- According to the ICPC, El-Rufai authorised the award of a CCTV contract worth about ₦8.68 billion in December 2015
- large sums of money connected to the contract were moved through various individuals and corporate entities
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has instituted new criminal proceedings against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, along with seven others, over alleged fraud and money laundering tied to a multibillion-naira CCTV security project.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the court filings submitted at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on April 17 show that the commission brought an 11-count charge against the defendants under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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The development was made public by Tijjani Ramalan, a former Commissioner for Information in Kaduna State, who disclosed in a social media post that the accused persons are expected to face trial soon.
According to the ICPC, El-Rufai authorised the award of a CCTV contract worth about ₦8.68 billion in December 2015 to a firm it claims lacked the technical capacity to execute the project.
The agency further alleged that between 2017 and 2022, large sums of money connected to the contract were moved through various individuals and corporate entities.
Among the companies cited in the case is Singularity Network Security Limited, alongside other firms said to have links to the project.
The list of defendants also includes a former government official, Jimi Lawal, senior personnel associated with IHS Towers, and several corporate entities allegedly involved in the transactions.
Although one of El-Rufai’s sons, Bashir, was mentioned in the allegations, he was not named as a defendant in the charge.
This latest case marks the third set of charges filed against the former governor by the ICPC since March.
He is already facing separate corruption-related trials linked to other state initiatives, including a light rail project and severance payments.
El-Rufai has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the earlier cases. Meanwhile, other agencies such as the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are also said to be investigating or prosecuting him over different allegations.
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