Alleged corruption: ICPC charges El-Rufai’s ex-Chief of Staff, Saidu to court

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s ex-Chief of Staff, Muhammad Bashir Saidu, was on Tuesday, charged to the Federal High Court in Kaduna by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Saidu, a one-time Commissioner for Finance in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s administration, was charged alongside one Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.

The defendants were slammed with two-count charges of money laundering, according to charge No FHC/KD/IC/2025.

This is contrary to earlier claim that Saidu had been exonerated of all charges after 10 months of investigation.

The charge was signed by the Assistant Chief Legal Officer of ICPC, Dr Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha.

The court document stated that Saidu who was at that time the Commissioner for Finance, “did accept cash payment of the sum of N155,000,000.00 from one Ibrahim Muktar exceeding the amount authorised by law, which sum you received in cash through proxy to wit: Muazu Abdu, your Special Assistant and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section2(a) and punishable under the Section 19(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

In the same March 2022, the ICPC also alleged that Saidu “indirectly took control of the sum of N155,000,000.00 received in cash for and on behalf of you by one Muazu Abdul from Ibrahim Muktar, which fund you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: corruption and you hereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”