El-Rufai’s Trial at Kaduna state high court: ICPC amends charges, drops co-defendant, hearing  on bail ajourns till  Tuesday, April 14

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday arraigned former, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor before the state High Court on a fresh nine-count charge bordering on alleged abuse and corruption.
El-Rufai was brought to the court premises on Monday amid very tight security.
Access to the courtroom was restricted as journalists were denied entry during the proceedings.
It was gathered that the original charge included one Amadu Sule as co-defendant, in the matter, however his name was  removed following an amendment of the charge by the prosecution.
Sources said  Sule was dropped from the charge on grounds of ill health.  He is said to be undergoing medical treatment at a medical facility operated by a security agency.
Counsel to El-Rufai, Ubong Akpan, confirmed the amended 9- count charge   in an interview after the court session,
adding that the amended charge now leaves only El-Rufai to face prosecution alone.
Akpan explained that the court took arguments on El-Rufai’s bail application and also recorded the plea of the defendant.
He said  hearing could not proceed as the defence was served with the amended charges in court during the sitting.
He stated that “the legal team would review the fresh charges before determining the next line of action”.
Darius Khobo, the presiding judge, adjourned the matter till  Tuesday, April 14 for  hearing on the bail application.
Details of the amended charge shows the former governor is being accused  of allegedly authorising the release of about N11 billion of Kaduna State funds to an unregistered entity for a light rail project that was allegedly not executed.
The ICPC further alleged that El-Rufai approved and received about N289.8 million as severance benefits, an amount said to be far in excess of the legally approved entitlement, thereby conferring undue advantage on himself.
He was also accused of mismanaging over 1.08 million dollars, being part of a World Bank facility granted to the state, in breach of the terms governing the loan.
The ICPC also alleged that the former governor conspired with an associate, said to be at large, to offer financial inducement to federal investigators with a view to influencing an ongoing probe involving a private company.
Other counts include the alleged irregular award of a N4.6 billion closed-circuit television contract within Kaduna metropolis in violation of procurement regulations, as well as conferring undue benefit on an associate through the said contract.
He was further accused of alleged fraudulent land transactions as governor
including the revocation and subsequent reallocation of land along the Kaduna-Zaria bypass to favour an associate and related entities.
El-Rufai had an earlier sitting, denied all the allegations.

The 9 – count amended charges by the ICPC are as follows.

COUNT 1
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in December 2016 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as Governor of Kaduna State, under false pretence, with intent to defraud, induced Kaduna State Government to confer a benefit to wit: N11,000,000,000.00 (Eleven Billion Naira) on Indokaduna Mrts JV Nigeria Limited, an unregistered entity for the construction of a light rail project for Kaduna State Government which project was never executed and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

COUNT 2
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in September, 2020 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, did use your position as Governor to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself when you knowingly approved and received the sum of N289,826,998.12 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Naira, Twelve Kobo) as severance allowance over and above your legitimately entitled sum
of N20,013,245.00 (Twenty Million, Thirteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Five Naira) which represents 300% of your annual basic salary and you thereby committed and offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

COUNT 3
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in January, 2023 or thereabout at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a public officer as the elected Executive Governor of Kaduna State, did use your position as Governor to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself when you knowingly approved and received the sum of N289,826,998.12 (Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Naira, Twelve Kobo) as severance allwance over and above your legitimately entitled sum of N20,013,245.00 (Twenty Million, Thirteen Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Five Naira) which represents 300% of your annual basic salary and you thereby committed and offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

COUNT 4
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) and one other persons (now at large) on or about March, 2022 to November, 2022 at Kaduna, Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst being the Governor of Kaduna State, entrusted with dominion over the sum of $1,085, 066.38 [One Million, Eighty Five Thousand, Sixty Six United States Dollars and Thirty Eight cents – which was part of the funds obtained as loan by the Kaduna State Government from the World Bank] dishonestly disposed the said property in violation of the
loan agreement and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 300 of the Kaduna State Penal Code 2017.

COUNT 5
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), BASHIR AHAMAD EL-RUFAI (M) (now at large) sometime in October, 2025 at Dubai, United Arab Emirate (outside Nigeria) and Cairo, Egypt (outside Nigeria), did conspire amongst yourselves to corruptly give a monetary benefit to investigators working for the Federal Government of Nigeria, at Abuja, Nigeria, on account of favour to be shown by the said investigators in order to compromise an ongoing investigation involving SINGULARITY NETWORK SECURITY LIMITED and its staff, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26(1) (c) and 66(1) and punishable under Section 9(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

COUNT 6
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), sometime in December, 2015 or thereabout at Kaduna, Kaduna State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being the Executive Governor of Kaduna State approved the award of contract (for the procurement of survey planning, final design and installation of CCTV at Kaduna Metropolis in the sum of N4,610,170,000.00 (Four Billion, Six Hundred and Ten Million, One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira, Ninety Six kobo) to (Messrs. Singularity Network Security Limited), in disregard for procurement laws of the Kaduna State, which act you reasonably ought to have known was unlawful and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 35(25) and punishable under section 68(4) of the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law, No. 12 of 2016.

COUNT 7

That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), sometime in December, 2015 or thereabout at Kaduna, Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while being the Executive Governor of Kaduna State used your position to confer unfair advantage to your associate, Singularity Network Security Limited when you awarded a contract for the Procurement of Survey Planning, Final Design and Installation of CCTV at Kaduna Metropolis in the sum of $22, 475, 000.00 (Twenty Two Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand United States Dollars), and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Act, 2000.

COUNT 8
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), sometime in April, 2018 or thereabout at Kaduna, Kaduna State while serving as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did commit a felony, to wit: used the office of the Executive Governor to confer an unfair advantage upon Amadu Sule (LEDA), your associate by causing the revocation of a parcel of land covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. KDL 86593, situate and lying along Kaduna-Zaria Express By-Pass, belonging to one Mohammad Umar Karage, for the benefit of the said associate (Amadu Sule LEDA) and alter ego of Old Port Investment Limited and TMDK Industries Limited and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Act, 2000.

COUNT 9
That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), sometime in April, 2018 or thereabout at Kaduna, Kaduna State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while serving as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State and entrusted with dominion over lands within the State, did commit Criminal Breach of Trust in respect of a parcel of land on TPO.975, covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. KDL 86593, situate and lying along Kaduna-Zaria Express By-Pass (lawfully granted to one Muhammed Umar Karage); by dishonestly allocating the said land to Old Port Investment Limited for the benefit of TMDK Industries Limited and one Amadu Sule (LEDA), your associate and the alter ego of Old Port Investment Limited and TMDK Industries Limited, in violation of the said entrustment; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 300 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.