El-Rufai earmarked $600,000 to settle EFCC officials – DSS witness alleges

A Department of State Services forensic investigator has alleged in court that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and some associates earmarked $600,000 for payments to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials and intermediaries.

Segun Kayode, the first prosecution witness in El-Rufai’s ongoing trial, made the allegation on Tuesday before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court in Kawo.

Kayode said forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving the former governor and suspected associates about efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity. He alleged that separate sums of $500,000 and $100,000 were set aside for the payments. The allegations form part of the prosecution’s case and have not been established by the court. According to Kayode, the conversations mentioned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, another individual and Bashir El-Rufai.

He alleged that the senior lawyer and the other individual were directed to meet Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with plans to apply a similar process to Singularity. The witness said the discussions included proposals to liquidate Singularity in Nigeria and Mauritius.

He also referred to an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and alleged discussions about preventing an EFCC inquiry into a company he described as listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The hearing lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 p.m. to 8:18 p.m., with approximately two hours spent playing the recordings. Earlier, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, objected to Kayode giving evidence because his name and a summary of his testimony were absent from the prosecution’s proof of evidence. Erokoro argued that the omission affected his client’s right to a fair hearing, saying the defence needed advance notice of the evidence it would be required to answer.

Counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, responded that Kayode had been subpoenaed and that the omission did not automatically make his testimony inadmissible. Adedipe said the court issued and signed the subpoena on June 30, 2026, and that the defence would have an opportunity to cross-examine the witness.

Erokoro maintained that the dispute concerned adequate preparation rather than the witness’s eligibility to testify. Citing Section 210 of the applicable Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, he argued that the subpoena should have been served on the defence.

Justice Khobo acknowledged that Kayode’s name and evidence summary were missing from the proof of evidence but ruled that court records confirmed he had been subpoenaed. The judge held that the omission did not automatically render the testimony inadmissible, provided the defence could cross-examine him.

After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings, the defence also complained that the document should have been supplied earlier for examination. The court admitted it as Exhibit One and ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy. Following agreement between both sides, the case was adjourned until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for continuation of cross-examination.

El-Rufai arrived at the court at about 11:50 a.m. amid tight security, accompanied by Isah Ashiru, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kaduna State. His appearance followed an order directing the ICPC to produce him for the resumed hearing. The proceedings came days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed his challenge to the high court’s refusal of bail.

In its October 9 judgment, the appellate court held that El-Rufai had not established sufficient grounds to overturn the decision. The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations of financial misconduct relating to his administration of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.