THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has filed fresh criminal charges against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and seven others over alleged fraud and money laundering linked to a ₦10.8 billion CCTV Security project in Kaduna State.
According to court documents filed before the Federal High Court in Kaduna on April 17 obtained by News Point Nigeria, the anti-graft agency instituted an 11-count charge under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Former Kaduna State Commissioner of Information and Chairman of Liberty Television, Alhaji Tijjani Ramalan, disclosed in a post on his Facebook page that El-Rufai and the seven accused persons would soon face the new charges in court.
The ICPC alleged that El-Rufai approved the award of an ₦8.68 billion CCTV contract in December 2015 to a company the commission claimed lacked the competence required to execute the project.
The commission further alleged that several huge sums of money were received and transferred between 2017 and 2022 by individuals and companies linked to the CCTV project, including Singularity Network Security Limited and other firms.
Others named in the case include former Kaduna State government official Jimi Lawal, senior executives of IHS Towers, as well as five companies.
One of El-Rufai’s sons, Bashir El-Rufai, was also mentioned in the allegations, although he was not listed as a defendant in the suit.
The latest case marks the third set of charges filed by the ICPC against the former governor since March.
El-Rufai is already facing separate corruption-related cases involving other Kaduna State projects, including allegations surrounding a light rail contract and severance payments, all of which he had denied during earlier court appearances.
Other security and anti-corruption agencies, including the State Security Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, are also reportedly investigating or prosecuting the former governor over separate allegations.
