Former Governor El-Rufai allegedly planned a $600,000 bribe — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, a prosecution witness told the High Court of Kaduna State that former state governor Nasir El-Rufai allegedly planned to hand over $600,000 to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and intermediaries in order to obstruct an investigation. This was reported by Premium Times Nigeria.
Testimony on audio recordings
State Security Service forensic expert Segun Kayode appeared as the first prosecution witness in El-Rufai's case before Judge Darius Khobo in Kawo. According to him, $500,000 and another $100,000 were allegedly intended for illegal payments.
Kayode stated that audio recordings examined by forensic specialists captured conversations between El-Rufai and several alleged accomplices. According to the witness, the discussions concerned ways to derail an investigation into the company Singularity.
According to Kayode, the recordings mentioned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, another unnamed person, and the former governor's son, Bashir El-Rufai. The witness also said that a plan to liquidate Singularity in Nigeria and Mauritius was discussed, where the company, according to him, was under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
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Defense objections and next hearing
The defense objected to Kayode's testimony, stating that the witness's name and a summary of his testimony had not been included in the prosecution materials. Lawyer Paul Erokoro stressed that this violated his client's right to a fair trial.
Ayodeji Adipepe, a representative of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, responded that Kayode had been summoned to court, so this circumstance did not make his testimony inadmissible. The judge ruled that the absence of the witness's name and a summary of his testimony in the materials did not invalidate the testimony, provided that the defense had an opportunity to cross-examine him.
The court admitted Kayode's written findings as Exhibit No. 1 and adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination. All allegations concerning the alleged bribe are part of the prosecution's evidence and have not yet been established by the court. El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all charges and calls the prosecution politically motivated.
