By Bayero Ade
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a five-count charge against Jimi Lawal, a former aide to ex-Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, and three others over alleged money laundering and embezzlement.
The charges were filed on January 15 at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, and also name Umar Waziri, Yusuf Inuwa, and Solar Life Nigeria Limited as co-defendants. The case, with charge number FCH/KD/16c/2025, was brought by the Assistant Chief Legal Officer of ICPC, Dr. Osuobeni Ekpi Akponimishingha.
The charges relate to activities from 2018 when Lawal, serving as Senior Special Adviser to Governor El-Rufai, allegedly diverted N10,000,000 from the Kaduna State Accountant-General’s Operational Account into the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, of which he was the sole signatory. The ICPC claims that Lawal should have been aware that these funds were proceeds of corruption, thus violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Further charges accuse Lawal of taking N47,840,000 from the Kaduna State Ministry of Finance’s bank account in July 2018, and, in September of the same year, transferring N7,320,562 from the state’s Internally Generated Revenue account to Solar Life Nigeria Limited’s account.
Additionally, in October 2024, the ICPC alleges that Lawal made false statements to investigators Wellington Nkemadu and Gudi Johnson Daniel. He reportedly claimed that the total sum of N64,800,562, which had been transferred in three installments to Solar Life Nigeria Limited’s account, was used to pay estacode to individuals Bariatu Yusuf Mohammed and Aisha Dikko. The ICPC contends that Lawal knew these statements were fabricated, committing an offence under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The case is now set for further legal proceedings at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
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