A former Special Adviser to the past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been summoned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Mr. Jimi Lawal is being investigated for his alleged involvement in a fraudulent Light Rail Project valued at N11 billion.
The ICPC has found no contract file for the Light Rail Project, despite the full payment for the project. Lawal was scheduled to appear before ICPC investigators yesterday but failed to show up and did not have legal representation.
The ICPC has requested the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to place Lawal on a watch-list at airports, seaports, and land borders. The commission said Lawal is being probed for “loans (foreign and domestic) obtained without following due process.”
The ICPC also discovered that Lawal’s bank account received N144 million from four private companies. A letter from the ICPC to the DSS and NIS states, “The suspect, who is under investigation, is most likely to flee the country to avoid prosecution. Please place him on the watch-list and arrest him if he tries to leave through any airport, seaport, or land border.”
In addition, twenty top officials and the Managing Director of a company have been invited by the ICPC to answer questions about $350 million loans meant for school rehabilitation and infrastructure projects. Their interrogation will take place from August 13 to August 16.
The officials include project coordinators and accountants from various Kaduna State programs, such as the Kaduna State Transportation Programme, Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement, and others.
An ICPC source said, “We have received many petitions about El-Rufai’s administration. These petitions were verified and are not frivolous. We have conducted a preliminary investigation, and it is necessary to question these individuals based on our findings.”
This investigation adds a new dimension to the ongoing scrutiny of El-Rufai’s administration. In June, a committee from the Kaduna House of Assembly reported that N423 billion was misappropriated from the state government’s funds between May 29, 2015, and May 29, 2023. The committee also discovered a $1.4 million withdrawal from the Kaduna State Economic Transformation Account.
El-Rufai has denied all allegations and claims that the House of Assembly did not provide a fair hearing. He has challenged the report in court.
