ICPC arraigns el-Rufai, Jimi Lawal on amended charges over alleged N8bn CCTV contract fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna state, alongside Jimi Lawal, his former aide and five companies over an alleged N8 billion CCTV contract fraud and related financial crimes.

The defendants were arraigned before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court in Kaduna on an amended 11-count charge bordering on alleged corruption, money laundering and related offences.

Others listed in the charge include Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited and Noble Coast Resources Limited.

According to the anti-graft agency, El-Rufai allegedly approved the award of a contract valued at N8.68 billion for the procurement, survey planning, final design and installation of a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance system in Kaduna metropolis to Singularity Network Security Limited, a company the commission claimed lacked the required experience and qualifications.

The ICPC further alleged that the defendants knowingly received and took possession of over N2 billion through transactions involving the companies between 2017 and 2022.

The commission also named Bashir El-Rufai, elder brother of the former governor, in one of the counts, stating that he remains at large.

Both El-Rufai and Lawal pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court subsequently adjourned proceedings until July 1, 2026, for a ruling on the defendants’ bail application.

El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023, is currently facing multiple prosecutions by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS) over separate allegations of corruption, money laundering and unlawful interception of telephone conversations linked to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

While a Federal High Court in Kaduna earlier granted him bail in the sum of N200 million in a separate case, a Kaduna State High Court denied a similar application. In another matter before the Federal High Court in Abuja, he was granted bail of N100 million with a surety resident in Abuja’s Maitama or Asokoro districts.

The latest arraignment marks another phase in the legal battles involving the former governor as anti-corruption authorities continue investigations into his administration’s financial dealings.