The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced plans to arraign three former officials of ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai in connection with a ₦64 million money laundering case.
The accused include Lawal Adebisi, a former Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor to the governor; Umar Waziri, the former Accountant General of Kaduna State; and Yusuf Inuwa, the former Finance Commissioner.
In a statement released on Thursday, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare disclosed that Solar Life Nigeria Limited, a company whose bank account allegedly received the diverted funds, has also been named in the case.
“In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, ICPC is accusing Mr. Lawal of colluding with the other two defendants to divert a total of ₦64,800,562 in three tranches: ₦10,000,000, ₦47,840,000, and ₦7,320,562. The funds were allegedly transferred to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Mr. Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory,” the statement read.
The commission further stated that all four accused persons are scheduled to appear in court on Friday, January 17, 2025, to enter their pleas.
In a separate case last week, the ICPC arraigned Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna State, on charges of money laundering. According to the two-count charge filed at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, Sa’idu is accused of receiving a cash payment of ₦155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.
