ICPC Arraigns El-Rufai Today over Multi Billion Naira Fraud Allegations

• Atiku tells FG to release ex-gov, insists he can’t be detained for holding different ideology 

•Leads solidarity delegation to Malami 

•Alleges Tinubu strangling democracy, Nigeria slid-ing into authoritarian rule

Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah in Abuja and Wale Igbintade in Lagos

Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to arraign El-Rufai today before both the Federal High Court over allegations of multi-billion-naira fraud, abuse of office, money laundering, and related offences.

In a statement, yesterday, the commission disclosed that El-Rufai would be arraigned alongside an associate at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, today, March 24, in Suit No: FHC/KD/73/2026.

A separate charge was also pending before the Kaduna State High Court, involving additional allegations and co-defendants, although a date had yet to be fixed for that proceeding.

This was as a former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on the federal government to release El-Rufai, and other political detainees, say-ing the government could not continue to detain people because they shared different political views.

Atiku, who led a solidarity visit to former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Jus-tice, Abubakar Malami, also sounded a warning to Nigerians about what he termed creeping fascism, saying President Bola Tinubuwas dismantling democracy and pushing Nigeria towards full-blown authoritarian rule, with dangerous implications for West Africa.

However, ICPC said the charges stemmed from El-Rufai’s tenure as governor and centred on alleged financial impropriety, wrongful enrichment, contract irregularities, and abuse of official powers.

The commission accused the former governor of fraudulently inducing the Kaduna State government to pay N11 billion to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited, described as an unregistered entity, for a light rail project that was never executed.

He was also alleged to have approved and received severance payments of N289.8 million on two occasions in 2020 and 2023, far exceeding his lawful entitlement of about N20 million.

The prosecution further alleged that El-Rufai dishonestly disposed of $1,085,066.38, being part of a World Bank loan, in violation of the loan agreement.

ICPC claimed that El-Rufai awarded contracts running into billions of naira, including a N4.61 billion CCTV project and a separate $22.47 million contract to Singularity Network Security Limited, in breach of procurement laws.

In addition, he was accused of conspiring with Bashir Ahmad El-Rufai, who was said to be at large, to offer inducements to federal investigators abroad in a bid to compromise an ongoing investigation.

In the separate suit before the Kaduna State High Court, El-Rufai was being arraigned, alongside Amadu Sule (Leda), on a 10-count charge bordering on fraud, abuse of office, conspiracy, and unlawful land dealings.

The state charges mirrored several of the federal allegations, including the N11 billion light rail transaction, which the prosecution said was obtained under false pretence for a project that was never executed.

The prosecution further claimed that the former governor unlawfully approved a N4.61 billion CCTV contract in 2015 in violation of Kaduna State procurement laws and conferred undue advantage on the same company through a separate contract valued at $22.47 million.

Amadu Sule was specifically accused of providing false information to Kaduna State Government in connection with a land application involving Old Port Trading Limited.

Both Sule and El-Rufai were also alleged to have conspired between 2018 and 2020 to revoke land belonging to Mohammed Umar Karage and reallocate it to Sule.

Another count related to the alleged unlawful exercise of control over land in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s tenure, with further particulars to be provided.

The charges were brought under several laws, including the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

ICPC confirmed that El-Rufai had been formally served and reiterated its commitment to due process.

The commission’s Head of Media and Public Communications, John Odey, stated that all defendants were presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court and assured that the prosecution would be conducted in line with the rule of law.

Atiku to FG: Release El-Rufai, You Can’t Detain Him for Holding Different Ideology

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called on the federal government to release former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and other political detainees, saying the government cannot continue to detain people because they share different political views.

In the message shared on X, the ADCchieftain stated that upon his return to Nigeria from Umrah, he led a delegation to Malami.

 Atiku said democratic governance must be anchored on respect for fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and political association.

He stated, “Following my return to the country on Saturday night from Umrah (lesser Hajj), I led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN.

‘’I wish to serve notice to the authorities detaining former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, @elrufai, and all other political detainees to release them henceforth.

“No one should be detained simply because they do not share the same ideology or political platform with the government of the day.”

On the general state of the nation, he accused President Bola Tinubu of dismantling democracy and pushing Nigeria towards full-blown authoritarian rule, with dangerous implications for West Africa.

Atiku, who gave the warning yesterday in a post on his X handle, condemned alleged state-sponsored siege on the residences and businesses of Malami, describing it as lawless, vindictive, and politically motivated.

He said the Department of State Services (DSS) swooped in to seal Malami’s properties, despite the matter being before the courts.

“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponising state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared.

He warned that Nigeria was witnessing the rapid erosion of democratic norms under Tinubu, with state institutions now reduced to tools of political persecution.

“What we are seeing is the naked abuse of power — security agencies deployed not for national security, but for settling political scores. This is how democracies die,” he said.

Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of running a deliberate and coordinated campaign to crush opposition voices and impose total political control ahead of the 2027 elections.

He stated, “Let it be said clearly: this government is terrified of competition. That is why it is resorting to brute force — harassing, intimidating, and attempting to break opposition leaders into submission.”

He further alleged that the sustained targeting of figures like Nasir el-Rufai and Malami was part of a broader strategy to coerce them into abandoning opposition politics and falling in line with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This is political extortion at the highest level—join us or be destroyed. That is the message being sent,” Atiku said.

The former vice president warned that Nigeria was dangerously close to becoming a one-party state.

He said, “When opposition is criminalised and dissent is punished, elections become a mere formality. If Tinubu wants to run unopposed, then let INEC stop wasting public funds on a sham election.”

Atiku likened the current trajectory to the infamous Abacha-era self-succession plot.

He said, “We have seen this script before. It ended in national disgrace. What is happening now is a dangerous replay—one that Nigerians must resist.”

He accused the Tinubu administration of using anti-corruption agencies as instruments of political coercion, forcing elected officials to defect under pressure.

“Governors and political leaders are being railroaded into the APC under threat of persecution. This is not politics—it is state capture,” he said.

He questioned the moral basis of a system where one man sought to bend the entire political structure to his personal ambition, warning,

“No individual has the right to hijack the destiny of over 200 million Nigerians just to cling to power. Leadership is not ownership.”

The former vice president stated, “Freedom of choice is the lifeblood of democracy. Once you kill it, dictatorship takes over. What Tinubu is engineering is nothing short of a civilian coup – denying Nigerians real options while pretending to run a democracy.

“A confident leader welcomes competition. Only a weak and insecure one fears it. This administration’s actions expose its fear—and Nigerians are watching.”