The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed multi-count criminal charges against Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Kaduna State governor over a sprawling corruption scheme involving billions of naira, millions of dollars, and abuse of office.
Court documents show the charges, filed before the Kaduna State High Court, include contract fraud, diversion of public funds, illegal enrichment, and attempts to compromise federal investigators.
At the centre of the allegations is the award of high-value CCTV contracts. According to the ICPC, “El-Rufai in December 2015 approved a contract worth ₦4.61 billion for the design, procurement, and installation of CCTV systems in Kaduna metropolis,” awarded to Singularity Network Security Limited, “in clear violation of Kaduna State procurement laws.”
Prosecutors also accused him of granting a $22.475 million contract to the same firm for similar services, describing the move as a deliberate attempt to confer “unfair advantage” on the company.
Also, the ICPC charged El-Rufai with inducing the Kaduna State Government to pay ₦11 billion to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited, an unregistered entity for a light rail project that was never executed.
“That you under false pretence, with intent to defraud, induced Kaduna State Government to confer a benefit for the construction of a light rail project which project was never executed,” the charge sheet stated.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that El-Rufai illegally received ₦289.8 million as severance allowance, far exceeding his lawful entitlement of about ₦20 million, and diverted $1.085 million from a World Bank loan granted to Kaduna State, “dishonestly disposed” in violation of the loan agreement.
The ICPC also accused El-Rufai and his son, Bashir Ahmad El-Rufai, of attempting to bribe federal investigators in Dubai and Cairo in October 2025 to compromise ongoing probes into Singularity Network Security Limited.
Additional counts include land fraud and criminal breach of trust, with the commission alleging that El-Rufai “dishonestly allocated” land along the Kaduna-Zaria Express Bypass to entities connected to his associates.
This newspaper reports that El-Rufai appeared before the Federal High Court in Kaduna State on March 24, 2026, alongside Joel Adoga, for his arraignment over money laundering, fraud, and abuse of office.
The ICPC added that the former governor “used his position as governor to confer undue advantage on allies and private entities, while undermining procurement laws and financial regulations,” forming a pattern of systemic abuse of office.