Ex-Gov El-Rufai Budgeted $600,000(N822m) To Bribe EFCC Officers –DSS Forensic Investigator
An officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has reported that Kaduna State’s former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and associates set aside $600,000 to pay officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Kayode, a forensic investigator and the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, made the allegation while testifying before the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kawo, Kaduna, presided over by Justice Darius Khobo.
El-Rufai is facing trial over alleged money laundering and conversion of public property.
The DSS is also prosecuting the former Governor before the federal high court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
He has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, after being released by the EFCC.
The witness told the court that $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the payments.
He added that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.
According to Kayode, the recorded conversations centred on alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.
He said a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, one other individual, and Bashir El-Rufai were among those allegedly mentioned in the conversations.
The investigator told the court that the Senior Advocate and the other individual were allegedly directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.
Kayode further alleged that the discussions included plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
He also alleged that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating a company, which he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The allegations formed part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor and have yet to be established by the court.
Proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 pm to 8:18 pm, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.
After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings to the court clerk, the defence complained that the document should have been served earlier to enable it to study its contents.
The Judge, however, ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy of the document admitted as Exhibit One for examination.
The court adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination, following agreement by the prosecution and defence.
