A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna State has approved the interim forfeiture of N1.37 billion allegedly diverted into a private account from the Kaduna State Government during the tenure of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The presiding judge, Justice H. Buhari, granted the forfeiture order on February 28, 2025, in a case filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), as reported by Channels Television on Wednesday.
The money in dispute was allegedly diverted into an account belonging to Indo Kaduna Marts JV Nigeria Limited.
On February 14, 2025, the ICPC disclosed that the money in dispute was part of the funds released for a botched light rail project in Kaduna State during the previous administration.
The Commission argued that this development allegedly deprived the people of Kaduna State of the benefits of the rail transportation system project.
Ruling on the ICPC’s application, Justice H. Buhari issued the interim forfeiture order.
This development highlights the ongoing legal scrutiny of El-Rufai’s administration by the ICPC.
In a separate charge, the ICPC also arraigned the former Chief of Staff and Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, for money laundering.
Sa’idu was accused of accepting a cash payment of N155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.