ICPC arraigns el-Rufai, Jimi Lawal on amended charges over ‘N8bn CCTV contract fraud’
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, alongside six others on an amended 11-count charge involving allegations of corruption, money laundering, and related offences tied to a ₦8.6 billion CCTV surveillance contract.
Also charged is Jimi Lawal, along with several companies identified in the charge sheet as Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited, and Noble Coast Resources Limited. Another individual mentioned in the case, Bashir el-Rufai, said to be the former governor’s elder brother, is reportedly at large.
According to the ICPC, the defendants appeared before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court in Kaduna, where they were arraigned over allegations relating to the procurement and execution of a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance project in Kaduna Metropolis.
The anti-graft agency alleged that el-Rufai approved the award of the contract—valued at ₦8,682,574,054.94—to Singularity Network Security Limited, a company it claims lacked the technical capacity and qualifications required under public procurement regulations. It also alleged that over ₦2 billion was moved through various entities linked to the project between 2017 and 2022.
Both el-Rufai and Lawal pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court adjourned the matter to July 1, 2026, for a ruling on their bail applications.
The former governor, who served as Kaduna State governor from 2015 to 2023, is currently facing multiple corruption-related proceedings across different courts initiated by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In earlier rulings across various courts, el-Rufai was granted bail under different conditions, including a ₦200 million bail by the Federal High Court in Kaduna and a ₦100 million bail with surety requirements at a Federal High Court in Abuja. However, a Kaduna State High Court also previously denied his bail application in a separate case.
The DSS has also filed charges against him over alleged unlawful interception of communications linked to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The latest case adds to a series of ongoing legal battles involving the former governor, with reactions continuing to trail the varying bail conditions imposed by the courts.
