On Wednesday, the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against former governor Nasir El-Rufai. The group is urging the anti-corruption body to immediately investigate El-Rufai for alleged misappropriation of N423 billion.
The group's petition follows a report from the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which accused El-Rufai and his appointees of misusing loans and embezzling funds amounting to N423 billion. In response to this report, El-Rufai recently initiated legal action against the Assembly and the state government, aiming to nullify the allegations. He argued that his right to a fair hearing was violated because he was not given an opportunity to defend himself during the investigation.
On Wednesday, members of the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance marched to the ICPC office on Wurno Road, Kaduna, demanding El-Rufai’s immediate arrest and investigation. Previously, on June 20, 2024, the same group had protested at the Kaduna State Government House, calling on Governor Uba Sani to involve anti-corruption agencies in arresting his predecessor.
Victor Duniya, Chairman of the group, addressed the media after submitting the petition to the ICPC. He revealed that a similar petition had also been submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja. Duniya emphasized that prosecuting El-Rufai and his officials for alleged corruption would deter other public office holders from engaging in such activities.
He stated, "On July 2, 2024, we officially lodged petitions at the EFCC headquarters and the ICPC zonal office in Kaduna against former governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai and several members of his administration. The Kaduna State House of Assembly's ad hoc committee report on the use of domestic loans from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023, implicated them."
"Our petitions call for immediate investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of El-Rufai and his appointees involved in financial and administrative misconduct as outlined in the report. Holding these individuals accountable will deter other public officials from looting public funds with impunity."
Duniya expressed confidence in the anti-corruption agencies' ability to combat corruption in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Kaduna State House of Assembly's ad hoc committee, set up to investigate finances, loans, and contracts awarded under El-Rufai's administration, submitted its report on June 5. The committee found that many loans obtained during El-Rufai’s tenure from 2015 to 2023 were not used for their intended purposes.