The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, alongside several other defendants, over an alleged ₦8.68 billion fraud linked to a closed-circuit television (CCTV) project awarded during his administration in Kaduna State.
According to the anti-corruption agency, El-Rufai unlawfully approved the award of a CCTV surveillance contract valued at ₦8.68 billion in December 2015 to Singularity Network Security Limited, a company the commission claims lacked the technical competence and experience required to execute the project. The ICPC alleges that the approval violated public procurement regulations and amounted to an abuse of office.
The commission further alleged that funds connected to the contract were subsequently transferred through multiple companies and individuals between 2017 and 2022 in transactions suspected to involve proceeds of unlawful activities. Investigators claim that more than ₦2 billion linked to the project moved through various channels in what they describe as attempts to conceal the origin of the funds.
Among those named in the case are former Kaduna State government official Jimi Lawal, executives associated with the project, and several companies alleged to have received funds connected to the transactions under investigation. The ICPC also mentioned one of El-Rufai’s sons as part of its allegations, although he is not listed as a defendant in the current proceedings.
Court documents indicate that the charges include allegations of fraud, money laundering, abuse of office, and violations of procurement laws. The case forms part of a broader series of legal actions initiated by the ICPC against the former governor and some of his associates over projects executed during his tenure.
El-Rufai and the other defendants are expected to answer the charges before the court as the prosecution seeks to establish that the contract award and subsequent financial transactions were conducted in breach of the law. The former governor has consistently denied wrongdoing in previous cases and has pleaded not guilty to similar charges brought against him.
The matter has been adjourned for further proceedings as the court begins hearing evidence from both the prosecution and the defence.
