Fresh legal troubles have engulfed former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following a raft of criminal allegations ranging from abuse of office to money laundering and contract fraud.
Details of the charges indicate a wide scope of alleged infractions tied to his time in office, with investigators focusing on financial decisions, contract awards, and land transactions.
At the centre of the accusations is an alleged excessive severance payout. El-Rufai is said to have approved and received N289.8 million as exit benefits, a figure authorities claim far exceeds the legally prescribed entitlement of about N20 million. The payment is being framed as an abuse of office.
He is also facing allegations of money laundering before the Federal High Court, with claims that he received funds from sources deemed unlawful or unjustified. Linked to this are accusations that he accepted foreign currency payments traced to individuals and entities under suspicion for illicit activities.
Another major count involves the alleged diversion of more than $1 million from a World Bank loan facility. The funds, investigators say, were meant for specific development purposes but were instead misapplied, raising questions of criminal breach of trust.
Contract awards under his administration have also come under scrutiny. Authorities allege that N11 billion was approved for a light rail project awarded to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Ltd, a company said not to have been properly registered. The project, according to the charges, was never executed.
In a separate procurement issue, El-Rufai is accused of approving a N4.61 billion CCTV contract to Singularity Network Security Ltd in violation of Kaduna State procurement laws. The same company is also linked to another contract valued at $22.475 million, which prosecutors claim conferred undue advantage.
Land-related transactions form another layer of the case. The former governor is accused of conspiring with an associate, Ahmadu Sule, and certain companies to submit false information in acquiring land along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway. In a related allegation, he is said to have unlawfully revoked a valid Certificate of Occupancy belonging to Mohammed Umar Karage and reassigned the land to associates.
The charges further extend to alleged attempts to obstruct justice. Investigators claim there were efforts to influence ongoing probes into the Singularity contracts through financial inducements offered within Nigeria and in foreign cities, including Dubai and Cairo.
While the allegations remain subject to judicial determination, the unfolding case signals one of the most far-reaching legal challenges yet for the former governor, whose tenure in Kaduna was often marked by bold reforms and controversy in equal measure.
No official response had been issued by El-Rufai or his representatives as of press time. The matter is expected to proceed through the courts in the coming weeks.
