El-Rufai planned to stifle EFCC investigation with $600,000 bribe, witness tells court

A forensic investigator with the State Security Service (SSS) has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai planned to bribe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials and intermediaries with $600,000 to stifle an investigation.

Testifying on Tuesday as the first prosecution witness in the former governor’s trial before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court in Kawo, Segun Kayode narrated how $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the illicit payments.

According to Channels Television, the witness informed the court that forensic audio recordings captured conversations between Mr El-Rufai and several suspected associates.

The alleged discussions focused on strategies to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a firm named Singularity.

Mr Kayode testified that those mentioned in the recordings included a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), another unnamed individual, and a son of the former governor, Bashir El-Rufai.

He alleged that the SAN and the associate were directed to obtain a template from one Ahmadu Sule—previously used to liquidate another firm—to apply to Singularity.

The witness further alleged that the discussions detailed plans to liquidate Singularity in both Nigeria and Mauritius, where the firm was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Additionally, the audio recordings contained plans to prevent the EFCC from investigating an undisclosed company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations form part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor and have yet to be established by the court.

Tuesday’s trial proceedings spanned nearly eight hours, with roughly two hours dedicated to playing the recorded audio evidence.

Earlier in the session, lead defence counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN) objected to Mr Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the witness’s name and a summary of his evidence were omitted from the prosecution’s proof of evidence.

Mr Erokoro contended that this omission violated his client’s right to a fair hearing, emphasising that the defence was entitled to prior notice of the evidence it had to meet.

Countering the objection, lead counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), explained that Mr Kayode was a subpoenaed witness, meaning the omission did not render his testimony inadmissible.

Citing judicial precedents, Mr Adedipe noted that the subpoena had been issued and signed by the court on 30 June, 2026, and that the defence would have full opportunity to cross-examine the witness.

In response, Mr Erokoro clarified that his objection centred on whether the defence had been given adequate notice to prepare, relying on Section 210 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, to argue that the prosecution was required to serve the subpoena on the defence.

In the ruling, Justice Khobo acknowledged the absence of the witness’s name and evidence summary in the proof of evidence but noted that court records confirmed he was subpoenaed.

The judge ruled that the omission did not automatically invalidate the testimony, provided the defence was granted the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.

Following the admission of Mr Kayode’s hard-copy findings into evidence as Exhibit 1, the defence raised further concerns regarding late service.

Justice Khobo ruled that the defence could obtain a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the document for detailed examination.

By consensus of both prosecution and defence teams, the court adjourned the case to 30 November and 1 December 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.

Mr. El-Rufai arrived at the court under heavy security around 11:50 a.m., ahead of the scheduled noon hearing, accompanied by Isah Ashiru, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State.

His appearance followed an explicit order by Justice Khobo directing the ICPC to produce him in court.

The hearing took place days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed Mr El-Rufai’s appeal challenging the High Court’s refusal to grant him bail.

In its 9 October judgement, the appellate court affirmed the lower court’s decision, ruling that the former governor failed to establish sufficient grounds for intervention.

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Mr El-Rufai’s ongoing prosecution by the ICPC stems primarily from recommendations in a 2024 Kaduna State House of Assembly probe report that accused his 2015–2023 administration of mismanaging public funds.

The ICPC filed multiple charges against the former governor in federal and state courts, including one alleging that he tapped the phone of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Mr El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to all charges, maintaining that his prosecution is politically motivated.

He remains in ICPC custody under court-authorised remand orders while his legal team challenges his continued detention.

Mr El-Rufai has been in ICPC detention since 18 February.