Court Denies Bail to El-Rufai’s Ex-Chief of Staff, ICPC to Arraign Three of his Aides for ₦64.8 Million Fraud

The Kaduna State High Court has denied bail to Bashir Sa’idu, a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance in Kaduna State. The court ruled on Thursday, January 16, 2025, stating that a formal charge had already been filed against him.

The bail application ruling was delivered refusing the bail application principally on the ground that since a formal charge had been filed by us, it is better that the Applicant goes to the court where the charge is filed and pending to apply for bail,” said Samson Irimiya, the Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution.

Sa’idu’s lawyer, Oladipo Tolani SAN, confirmed they would reapply for bail in the appropriate court. His arraignment is set for January 21, 2025, before Justice Isa Aliyu.

The former Chief of Staff is accused of “selling 45 million US dollars in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government, equivalent to ₦18.4 billion, at the significantly undervalued rate of ₦410 per dollar. This was instead of the parallel market rate of ₦498 per dollar, with criminal intent, resulting in a ₦3.9 billion loss to the government in 2022.”

The prosecution alleged that the funds were laundered in violation of Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Similarly, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to arraign three former aides of ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai and a firm, Solar Life Nigeria Limited. The arraignment is scheduled for Friday at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

The accused include Lawal Adebisi, a former senior special adviser; Umar Waziri, a former accountant general; and Yusuf Inuwa, a former finance commissioner. The ICPC alleged that ₦64.8 million in public funds was diverted to Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Adebisi is the sole signatory. The money was transferred in three tranches of ₦10 million, ₦47.84 million, and ₦7.32 million. The ICPC has also charged Sa’idu with accepting a cash payment of ₦155 million from a public officer in the Ministry of Finance. Both cases are still ongoing.

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