Kaduna assembly recommends probe of El-Rufai for ‘funds diversion, money laundering’

The Kaduna State House of Assembly established an ad hoc committee to review all funds, loans, and contracts given under previous governor Nasir El-Rufai, and presented its findings to the House.

The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Henry Zacharia, presented a report during plenary on Wednesday. The report found that most loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were not used for their intended purpose, and that due process was not followed in some cases. Receiving the report, Yusuf Liman, Speaker of the Kaduna House of Assembly, stated that the El-Rufai government took a total of N423 billion, leaving the state with huge liabilities.

As a result, the committee recommended that El-Rufai and other indicted members of his cabinet be investigated and prosecuted by security and anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office through the award of contracts without due process, diversion of public funds, money laundering, and plunging Kaduna State into deep debt.

The committee recommended suspending Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance Shizer Badda, who also served under El-Rufai’s government, and the head of the state universal basic education board.

It also called for a comprehensive inquiry of several key appointments of the previous government by competent law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities.

The committee set up by the Kaduna State House of Assembly was tasked with the assignment of examining loans, grants and projects implementation from 2015 to 2023 during which El-Rufai served as governor of the state.