BREAKING: ICPC Charges El-Rufai’s Former Chief Of Staff Over Alleged Money Laundering

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged Muhammad Bashir Saidu, former Chief of Staff to ex-Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai, with money laundering at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

Saidu, who also held the position of Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance, is accused of receiving a cash payment of ₦155,000,000 from a public officer in the Ministry of Finance, Ibrahim Muktar, exceeding the legally permitted cash transaction limit.

The ICPC alleges the transaction occurred in March 2022, facilitated through Saidu’s Special Assistant, Muazu Abdu.

The charge, identified as FHC/KD/IC/2025, comprises two counts of money laundering.

According to the court documents, Saidu allegedly accepted the cash in violation of Section 2(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which prohibits unauthorized large cash transactions.

The ICPC further alleges that Saidu indirectly controlled the funds, knowing or having reason to know that the money was linked to corrupt practices.

This act contravenes Section 18(2)(d) of the same Act and carries penalties under Section 18(3), which stipulates imprisonment of 4 to 14 years, a fine of no less than five times the value of the laundered amount, or both.

Assistant Chief Legal Officer of the ICPC, Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, filed the charges on January 7, 2025.

Additionally, Saidu is under investigation for allegedly laundering ₦3.96 billion and misappropriating ₦244 million during his tenure in the Kaduna State government.

The Kaduna State House of Assembly previously indicted the El-Rufai administration, accusing it of mismanaging over ₦423 billion in state funds.