The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has taken legal action against Jimi Lawal, a former top aide to Nasir el-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, over serious allegations of corruption and money laundering.
Lawal, who once served as a senior adviser and counselor at the Kaduna Economic Development Council from 2019 to 2023, is now facing a five-count charge.
He also held the position of special adviser during El-Rufai’s first term as governor. In the current case, he stands trial alongside Umar Waziri, Yusuf Inuwa, and Solar Life Nigeria Limited, with charges covering three key counts.
According to the ICPC, in 2018, Lawal allegedly orchestrated the diversion of N10 million from the Kaduna State Accountant General’s Operational Account via the Guaranty Trust Bank Automated Payment System (GAPS) into an account belonging to Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where he was the sole signatory. The anti-graft agency asserts that Lawal “ought to have known” the funds were proceeds of corruption.
In another count, Lawal is accused of channeling N47.8 million from the Kaduna State Ministry of Finance through the same account in July 2018. A third charge details the alleged misappropriation of N7.3 million from the Kaduna State Internally Generated Revenue Account in September 2018, which was reportedly transferred into the Solar Life Nigeria Limited account under his control.
The ICPC further claims these actions violate sections of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as the funds in question were allegedly obtained through unlawful means.
Adding to the charges, Lawal is accused of providing false statements during investigations in October 2024. The ICPC claims he falsely stated that N64,800,562, transferred in three tranches from the Kaduna State Government to the Solar Life Nigeria Limited account, was paid to Bariatu Yusuf Mohammed and Aisha Dikko as estacode.
The anti-corruption commission maintains that Lawal was aware the statement was false, an act punishable under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
This unfolding case highlights yet another chapter in the fight against corruption within Nigeria’s political landscape.