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El-Rufai’s Men Deny Diverting N1.37bn
Commissioners who served under the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna State between 2015 to 2023, have reacted to the recent order of the Federal High Court sitting the state.
Justice H Buhari of the Federal high court had on February 28, ordered for the interim forfeiture of the ₦1.37 billion allegedly diverted into a private account while ruling on the ex parte application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC),
The ₦1.3b was allegedly paid into the account of an unregistered company in respect of the Kaduna Light Rail Project.
In their reaction, the former cabinet members insisted that there was no basis for any forfeiture proceedings or court order, describing the court order as a sheer oppression and abuse of power to confiscate private assets and discourage foreign direct investments.
In a statement, the former commissioners challenged those they described as purveyors of lies and falsehood to come forward with genuine documents to contradict any of the foregoing facts.
The statement reads: “First, we wish to state that the Kaduna Light Rail Project came about as part of the infrastructural revolution of the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai administration to turn Kaduna into a modern and developed state. The project was conceived as a landmark legacy project by the State Executive Council in October 2015, to be funded with part of the just secured World Bank Performance for Results loan of about $350 million.
“Given the magnitude of the project, which was estimated to cost between US$600-700 million, we needed foreign collaboration and funding. We therefore started with adverts in reputable local and international publications including The Economist Magazine. A copy of the advertisement for Expression of Interest dated November 2015 in the national dailies is attached as Annex 1.
“In the end, an Indian company known as Skipper secured the award of the project following the competitive tender process. They were to be responsible for securing a loan of about 85% of the project cost from the Indian Export Import Bank, whilst Kaduna State Government was to pay 15% as equity. The contract term was consequently changed from an EPC to a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer so that Skipper will be responsible for ensuring the efficient operations of the light rail system and the repayment of the loan.
The statement admitted that the former government paid the sum of N890million to Skipper and GTA as the cost of feasibility study for the light rail project. Adding that the project couldn’t continue due to the non-approval of a Sovereign Guarantee by the Federal Government.
“However, the then Minister of Finance pushed back, saying the nation’s foreign debt burden was becoming too high and that she would be accused of being partial towards Kaduna State if they gave the Sovereign Guarantee. So, because of this, we could not continue with the project. Meanwhile, during the intervening period, we had increased our down payment to N12 billion as part of Kaduna State’s 15% equity contribution”.
“When it became obvious that the Sovereign Guarantee would not be we granted, we recalled the money from Sterling Bank. The bank refunded all the funds except for the cost of the feasibility study (₦890million as stated in Paragraph 4 above) that had been paid which remains the property of the Kaduna State Government. Anytime, anyone wants to embark on the project, he will just pick up the report and start the project. There were other costs that had been incurred by Skipper and GTA, which had to do with geo-mapping of corridors, land acquisition, domestic and international travel and other relevant expenses; for which an understanding was reached for a setoff against interest received on the deposit.
“As a responsible and transparent administration, we engaged the services of a forensic audit firm to ensure that the refunds due to Kaduna State Government were received “.
“It would be recalled that when some senior officials of the immediate past Kaduna State Executive Council were arrested by the ICPC, the allegation was that the ₦13 billion for the light rail project was missing.
“But, when evidence of the refund that was made to the Kaduna State Government and the report of the forensic audit that was conducted by the El-Rufai administration were made available to the ICPC, the narrative changed! Surprisingly, ICPC became hostile and decided to go after Sterling Bank and forced the bank to deposit ₦1.3billion into an Escrow Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pending litigation to determine if any fraud or crime had been committed.
“Please note that the ₦1.3 billion which Sterling Bank was forced to pay into the Escrow Account is the addition of the N890 million cost of the Feasibility Study and about N400 million interest that accrued on the deposit in the joint venture account”.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has distanced the state government from the ₦700 billion fraud allegation leveled against his immediate predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, by the Network against Corruption and Trafficking, and being probed by anti-graft agency EFCC.
“I don’t know where they get those figures from because it can’t be from Akwa Ibom State; it can’t be from us – we don’t have such figures,” Eno said at a town hall meeting in the Abak area of the state on Saturday.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor condemned what he described as a vilification of the past governors of the oil-rich South-South state since the return to democracy in 1999.
Eno said, “I begin to feel that how we treat our leaders after they have put in all their efforts to serve can be very discouraging.
“We have done this consistently from Obong Attah, even the distinguished Senate President (Godswill Akpabio), we also vilified him; we went to EFCC. Now, we are doing it to Gov Udom Emmanuel.”
The governor said subjecting leaders to fraud probes after they have served their people well in office would discourage those currently in office from giving their best whilst in service.
“I’m already expecting that it will happen to me but what this does is to discourage leadership; it discourages you from giving your best, from burning out yourself because at the end of the day, the people don’t show you that gratitude,” he said.
“When a man has served his state meritoriously like Governor Udom Emmanuel did, honestly, should be honoured, and should be respected.
“I don’t see a place for this kind of vilification that is going on; it is not correct – I don’t believe it should go on.
“It is not correct, it is not truthful and we need to just dismiss it with a pinch of salt,” he added.
On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detained Emmanuel for alleged ₦700 billion fraud.
This followed the petitioner’s allegations of money laundering and diversion of funds preferred against PDP’s Emmanuel, who was Akwa Ibom State governor from May 2015 to May 2023.
The petitioner alleged that Emmanuel received ₦3 trillion from the Federation Account in eight years but left a debt profile of ₦500bn and unpaid ongoing projects worth ₦300bn. He was also alleged to be unable to account for ₦700bn.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says he has no plan to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Recently, there have been reports that Atiku is finalising moves to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Reacting to the reports in a statement issued on Saturday, Atiku’s media office said the former vice president remains a bonafide member of the PDP.
The media office described the reports as a “fallacy”, urging Nigerians to disregard them.
“We have observed that some news platforms are peddling unverified information that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party,” the statement reads.
“We wish to clarify that the so-called news of Atiku defecting to another party is a total fallacy that holds no merit in logic.”
The media office said Abubakar has persistently called for a coalition of opposition political parties in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The media office stressed that the coalition would accommodate all opposition parties, including the PDP.
“Hence, it is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship. Such an allegation is antithetical to the objective of the grand coalition, which the former Vice President is currently driving alongside other prominent political leaders in the country,” the media office said.
“We, therefore, wish to state unequivocally that Atiku remains a principal bonafide member of the PDP, the main opposition party.”
Atiku’s media office added that the defection claims are an attempt to “confuse Nigerians about the magnitude of the grand coalition that is at work to rescue Nigeria from the grip of the APC”.
The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC) has criticised the invasion of the Ikeja Electricity Company by armed officers of the Nigerian Air Force.
On Thursday, air force personnel invaded the power company’s headquarters in Lagos over the disconnection of electricity at Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos state.
Kingsley Okotie, spokesperson for IKEDC, said the NAF personnel vandalised the company’s office, assaulted employees, and made away with several company assets.
In a statement, Adewale Adeoye, the national president of NHRC, called on President Bola Tinubu and the national assembly to set up an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the invasion.
The coalition said the panel should identify the officers responsible for the invasion and bring them to justice.
“Invasion of private or corporate institutions by armed Airforce or soldiers should be a thing of the past after 25 years of post military rule,” the statement reads.
“The orders for the invasion by some senior officers violated the Nigerian constitution and portrayed the country as facing the prospect of brute force intervention, yet with an elected president, in a democracy.
“We are appalled that in this century, armed soldiers could forcefully enter the corporate headquarters of a strategic service provider, beat up its staff, destroy property and even threaten to shoot the workers. This is savage and shows a lack of discipline and professionalism on the part of the air force men.
“The Nigerian Airforce performs critical roles linked to national security. The constant provision of electricity is key to optimum performance. This is understandable.
“Democracy and dialogue are slow but remain the surest and legitimate means of conflict resolution. Violence, no matter the provocation, can never replace the dictates of the constitution.
“This issue should not be swept under the carpet. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly are strongly urged to set up an independent panel of inquiry to identify the remote causes, the officers involved and to ascertain the extent of damage done to the property of the organisation towards compensation.”