- “…if he does escape to Nigeria, extradition will be extraordinarily difficult or impossible because of his ties to the Nigerian government.”
The United States Department of Justice has written a letter to the United States Magistrate Judge in Eastern District of New York, Ramon Reyes, on why it is crucial to deny Abidemi Rufai, an aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, bail.
The Acting U.S. Attorney, Tessa Gorma, in a letter said Rufai presents an extreme risk of flight and “if he does escape to Nigeria, extradition will be extraordinarily difficult or impossible because of his ties to the Nigerian government.
A Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiodun, he was suspended from office after the report on his alleged involvement in a $350,000 (₦140,000,000) COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the U.S.
Rufai was apprehended while trying to jet out of the U.S. around 7:45 p.m. on May 14 after allegedly using the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
Read also: Gov. Abiodun Suspends Aide Arrested In U.S. For Alleged Fraud
His attorney, Michael Barrows, on Tuesday, said Rufai denied “involvement in these transactions.”
He was denied bail when he appeared in court on Wednesday because his brother, Alaba Rufai, who is listed in court records, could not afford the $300,000 surety bond for his bail.
The Acting U.S. Attorney, Gorma, said in her letter to the court that Rufai’s history and characteristics weigh heavily in favour of detention, particularly his extensive ties to Nigeria.
“…By contrast, Rufai has no known contacts to the Western District of Washington—apart from using the stolen identities of its residents to rob the state’s coffers. His only known connection with the United States is his brother (one of 15 siblings) who resides in New York.
“Rufai has substantial financial resources that will enable his flight. Rufai made the dubious representation to Pretrial Services that his total assets consist of $6,000 in the United States and $10,000 in a Nigerian bank account.
“At the time of his arrest, the defendant was preparing to board a first-class flight to Nigeria with five debit cards and two credit cards in his wallet, a luxury Cartier watch, seven pieces of luggage, and three smartphones on his person.
“While the government does not have access to his Nigerian financial information at this time, the Amended Complaint sets forth evidence that, during the period of the fraud, a single U.S. bank account in Rufai’s name received $288,825 in deposits.
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“Even this partial financial picture makes clear that Rufai has significant financial assets sufficient to facilitate his flight,” the letter partly read.
Gorma stressed that if the suspect succeeds in fleeing the country, he likely will be gone forever.
“It is well known that extradition from Nigeria to the United States is difficult under the best of circumstances. That will be exacerbated in this case because of the strong political connections that earned Rufai a governmental appointment,” she added.
