ICPC arraigns El-Rufai, six others over alleged N8.68bn CCTV contract fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, his former Senior Special Adviser/Councillor, Mr. Jimi Lawal, and Five Others in an 11-count amended criminal charge over alleged corruption, money laundering, and related offences.

The amended charge, filed in Charge No. FHC/KD/93C/2026, before Honourable Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of Federal High Court, Kaduna, named Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai as the 1st defendant alongside Mr. Jimi Adebisi Lawal, Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited, and Noble Coast Resources Limited.

Bashir El-Rufai (an elder brother of the former governor), who is currently at large, is also mentioned in one of the counts.

According to the amended charge, the Commission alleged that Mallam El-Rufai, while serving as Governor of Kaduna State, unlawfully 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 in the reviewed sum of ₦8,682,574,054.94 to Singularity Network Security Limited, contrary to public procurement laws, a company alleged to lack the requisite experience and qualifications.

The Commission further alleged that proceeds arising from the said unlawful act were subsequently transferred through various companies and individuals.

The amended charge contains several counts relating to the alleged possession, receipt and movement of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, involving sums running into billions of naira.

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The offences are alleged to be contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Count One reads: ‘’That you, MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) sometime in December, 2015 or thereabout at Kaduna, Kaduna State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being the Executive Governor of Kaduna State aided an act of corruption, when you approved the award of contract for the procurement of survey planning, final design and installation of CCTV at Kaduna metropolis in the reviewed sum of N8,682,574,054.94 (Eight Billion, Six Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Five Hundred and Seventy-Four Thousand, Fifty-Four Naira, Ninety-Four Kobo) to Messrs. Singularity Network Security Limited, a company with no requisite experience and in violation of procurement laws, which act you knew was unlawful and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(a) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition)Act, 2022.’’

Specifically, the amended charge alleged that the defendants knowingly received or took possession of funds amounting to over ₦2 billion through various transactions involving Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited and Noble Coast Resources Limited between 2017 and 2022.

Both Mallam El-Rufai and Lawal pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

The matter was then adjourned for 1st July, 2026, for ruling on the bail application as contained in a statement signed by J. Okor OdeyHead, Media and Public Communications, ICPC, made available to Journalists on Thursday.