ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), over allegations of corruption, money laundering and related offences linked to an N8.68 billion CCTV surveillance contract awarded during his administration.
El-Rufai was docked alongside his former Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor, Jimi Lawal, and five others before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, on an amended 11-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency.
According to a statement issued by the ICPC on Thursday, the defendants were arraigned in Charge No. FHC/KD/93C/2026.
The commission listed El-Rufai as the first defendant in the suit alongside Lawal, Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited and Noble Coast Resources Limited.
ICPC also named Bashir El-Rufai, identified as an elder brother of the former governor and currently at large, in one of the counts contained in the amended charge.
The anti-corruption agency alleged that while serving as governor of Kaduna State, El-Rufai approved the award of a contract for the procurement, survey planning, final design and installation of a Closed-Circuit Television, CCTV, surveillance system in Kaduna metropolis valued at N8.68 billion.
According to the commission, the contract was awarded to Singularity Network Security Limited, a company it claimed lacked the necessary experience and qualifications required for the project.
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ICPC further alleged that funds generated from the contract were subsequently transferred through a network of companies and individuals in transactions spanning several years.
The commission stated that the defendants allegedly received and possessed funds exceeding N2 billion between 2017 and 2022 through various transactions involving the companies named in the charge, funds it said were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the charge, the alleged offences contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
One of the counts specifically accused El-Rufai of aiding an act of corruption by approving the CCTV contract in violation of procurement regulations despite allegedly knowing that the company awarded the project lacked the requisite technical competence and experience.
When the charges were read in court, both El-Rufai and Lawal pleaded not guilty.
Following their plea, Justice Buhari adjourned the matter until July 1, 2026, when the court is expected to rule on the bail applications filed by the defendants.
The latest prosecution adds to El-Rufai’s growing legal battles. The former governor is also facing a separate prosecution by the Department of State Services, DSS, over allegations relating to the interception of communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.