On January 17, 2025, three former officials of Nasir El-Rufai’s government in Kaduna will be arraigned in court over a ₦64 million fraud case. The accused are Lawal Adebisi, the former Senior Special Adviser/Counsellor to the governor; Umar Waziri, the former Accountant General; and Yusuf Inuwa, the former Finance Commissioner. They are accused of conspiring to divert public funds into the account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Adebisi is said to be the sole signatory.

“In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, the ICPC is accusing Mr. Lawal of conniving with the two other accused persons to divert the total sum ₦64,800,562 in three tranches of ₦10,000,000.00, ₦47,840,000.00, and ₦7,320,562.00 to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited,” Bakare said.

The arraignment will take place at the Federal High Court in Kaduna. The officials are expected to plead to the charges on the day of the hearing. This comes after a similar case last week, where another former official of El-Rufai’s administration, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, was charged with money laundering involving ₦155 million.

The allegations follow accusations made by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which indicted El-Rufai’s administration for allegedly misappropriating ₦423 billion, though El-Rufai has denied any wrongdoing.