The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Bashir Saidu, former Chief of Staff to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on allegations of money laundering. Saidu, who also served as the Commissioner of Finance under El-Rufai’s administration, appeared at the Kaduna Federal High Court alongside Ibrahim Muktar, a civil servant from the state’s Ministry of Finance.
The defendants face two counts of money laundering under case file No FHC/KD/IC/2025. According to court documents, in March 2022, Saidu allegedly accepted cash payments totaling N155 million through a proxy, Muazu Abdu, his Special Assistant. This sum reportedly exceeded the legal cash transaction limit and was claimed to be linked to unlawful activity, including corruption.
The charges, which fall under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, carry penalties ranging from four to 14 years of imprisonment, a fine not less than five times the crime’s value, or both. The ICPC’s Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, filed the charges on Tuesday.
These proceedings highlight ongoing efforts to combat corruption and enforce financial transparency in public offices.
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