Former governor Nasir El-Rufai is under scrutiny for alleged misuse of office and money laundering during his term in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
An ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has recommended that El-Rufai and several members of his cabinet be investigated and prosecuted.
The allegations include contract fraud, diversion of public funds, and plunging the state into significant debt. If found guilty, El-Rufai could face jail terms. The committee also advised the immediate suspension of certain key officials from the previous administration.
According to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, has presented its findings on the financial activities, loans, and contracts approved during the tenure of former governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The committee’s chairman, Henry Zacharia, revealed during a Wednesday plenary that many loans acquired during El-Rufai’s term were not utilized for their intended purposes. Furthermore, due process was often bypassed when securing these loans.
Upon receiving the report, Yusuf Liman, the Speaker of the Kaduna House of Assembly, disclosed that El-Rufai’s administration had misappropriated a total of N423 billion, leaving the state burdened with substantial liabilities.
As a result, the committee has urged security and anti-corruption agencies to investigate and prosecute El-Rufai and several other implicated members of his cabinet. The allegations include abuse of office, contract fraud, diversion of public funds, money laundering, and plunging Kaduna State into significant debt.
The committee also advised the immediate suspension of the Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance, Shizer Badda, who served under El-Rufai, and the chairman of the state universal basic education board. It further recommended a comprehensive investigation of key appointees from the previous administration by relevant law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.
The committee was initially formed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly to scrutinize loans, grants, and project implementations from 2015 to 2023, during El-Rufai’s governorship.
