A forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 to influence officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.
Kayode made the allegation on Tuesday while testifying as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of El-Rufai before the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kawo.
The proceedings were presided over by Justice Darius Khobo.
According to the investigator, $500,000 was allegedly set aside for EFCC officials, while another $100,000 was earmarked for an intermediary to facilitate efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation.
Kayode told the court that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.
He said the conversations centred on alleged attempts to prevent the anti-graft agency from investigating a company identified as Singularity.
The investigator reportedly mentioned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, AU Mustapha, alongside Jimi Lawal and Bashir El-Rufai, among individuals allegedly referenced in the recordings.
He further alleged that Mustapha and Lawal were directed to meet an individual identified as Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.
Kayode also alleged that the recorded conversations contained discussions about liquidating the company in Nigeria and Mauritius. He told the court that the company was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The investigator further claimed that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating IHS, a company he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The court proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, with approximately two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence.
However, El-Rufai’s defence counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), challenged the investigator’s testimony, arguing that Kayode’s name and a summary of his evidence were not included in the prosecution’s proof of evidence.
Erokoro maintained that the omission affected his client’s right to a fair hearing, insisting that the defence should have been adequately informed of the evidence it was expected to answer.
Counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), countered that Kayode had been subpoenaed to testify and that the omission did not automatically render his evidence inadmissible.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that the investigator’s name and summary of evidence were absent from the proof of evidence but held that the omission did not automatically invalidate his testimony, provided the defence was allowed to cross-examine him.
The judge also directed the defence to obtain a certified true copy of the investigator’s findings, which had been admitted as an exhibit, to enable the legal team to examine the document.
The case was subsequently adjourned until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, is facing multiple legal proceedings over allegations of financial misconduct and other offences. He has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
