A group, known as the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance, on Wednesday, formally lodged a petition at the State office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, urging the commission to commence the immediate prosecution of former governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-rufai over his indictment of N423 billion.

The group led by its leadership and few members matched through Rabah Road to the Wurno road, Badarawa where the office of the ICPC is located and submitted the petition.

They demanded for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the immediate-past governor and his collaborators indicted by State House of Assembly probe, noting that doing so would deter others from pilfering the state’s treasury in the near future.

The Punch reports that the same group had on June 20, 2024 led a protest where they stormed the Kaduna Government House where they made a similar demand for the arrest and prosecution of El-rufai and others.

Meanwhile, addressing newsmen shortly after submitting their petition to the ICPC, the Chairman of the group, Comrade Victor Duniya, also disclosed that they submitted a similar petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja for the agency to expedite action on prosecution of El-rufai and other members of his cabinet as indicted by the House report.

He noted that bringing the former governor and those indicted under his eight year reign to book, would deter other elected and appointed public officials from looting of public treasury with impunity.

According to him, the commission must quickly swing into action because people and indeed, Nigerians want accountability and justice without delay.

Duniya said, “yesterday, the 2nd of July 2024, we officially lodged petitions at the headquarters of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the zonal office of Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Kaduna against the former governor of Kaduna state Mal. Nasir Ahmad El-rufai and many members of his administration that the Kaduna State House of Assembly Ad-hoc report on sourcing and usage of domestic loans from 29th May 2015 to 29th May 2003 indicted.

“Our petitions requested for immediate investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of Mal. El-rufai and his appointees that were involved in mismanagement, syphoning, and many illegal financial and administrative activities contained in the report.

“Holding the former governor and those that spilled the treasury and shortchanged people’s interest accountable will deter other elected and appointed public officials from mindless looting of public treasury with impunity.

“We have absolute confidence in the capacity and determination of the anti-graft agencies in combating corruption in Nigeria.”

The WHISTLER reports that an adhoc committee set up by the Kaduna State House of Assembly to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded under the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday, submitted its report to the House.
The Committee indicated the former governor saying that most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023, were not used for the purpose for which they were obtained.

The Committee led by Hon. Henry Zacharia, who’s also the Deputy Speaker of the House, recommended the prosecution of El-Rufai, some other indicted members of his cabinet by security and anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office and money laundering while in office as well as plaguing Kaduna State into heavy debt.

The probe by the state Assembly was necessitated following the lamentation of the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, that El-Rufai left him a huge debt profile.

Sani, who spoke during a town hall meeting in Kaduna, said he inherited a lean treasury, adding that he could not pay workers’ salaries.

Sani said, “Despite the huge debt burden of N587m, N85bn, and N115bn contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.

“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.”
The revelation by Sani had generated reactions from several quarters, including El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, who took to his social media handle and accused his father’s successor of shying away from his responsibility.”

But El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, had affirmed the integrity of the El-Rufai government and dismissed as “scandalous”the claims by the committee.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai is immensely proud of his record of governance and the legacy he left in Kaduna State. This record of consistently high performance in public and private office cannot be altered by any malicious effort to use the auspices of a state legislature for defamation and undeserved smears.

“Many of the officials who served in the El-Rufai government appeared before the ad-hoc committee because of their confidence in the quality of their service and the rectitude in which they served Kaduna State. They were under no illusion that they were participating in a fair process. It was obvious that the ad hoc committee was merely going through the motions of an inquiry just to give some gloss to predetermined conclusions.”

Also, on June 26, 2024, the former governor dragged the State House Assembly before the Federal High Court, Kaduna over the probe report.

Through his counsel, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, SAN, had said El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is “entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.”