Alleged N64m Fraud: ICPC Arraigns Three Ex-officials of El-Rufai on Friday

Alex Enumah in Abuja 

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) will on Friday arraign three ex-appointees of former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, in a fresh N64 million money laundering charge.

The ex-appointees are former Senior Special Adviser/Counsellor, Mr Lawal Shakiru Olajimi Adebisi; a former Accountant General of Kaduna State, Mr. Umar Waziri and the former Finance Commissioner in the state, Mr. Yusuf Inuwa.

Also joined as defendant is Solar Life Nigeria Limited, a company whose bank account was believed to have received the alleged diverted fund.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial division, ICPC is accusing Lawal of conniving with the two other defendants to have diverted the total sum of N64,800,562, in three tranches of N10,000,000.00, N47,840,000.00 and N7,320,562.00 to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited where Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory.

According to a statement by the Director, Public Enlightenment and Education/

Spokesperson for the Commission, Mr Demola Bakare, the defendants are expected to appear in court on Friday, January 17, 2025 to take their plea.

The ICPC, had last week in a separate charge, arraigned the former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance in Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, over alleged offences bordering on money laundering.

The commission, in a two-count charge, also filed before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, accused Sa’idu of accepting a cash payment of N155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.