COURT ORDERS INTERIM FORFEITURE OF N1.37BN ALLEGEDLY DIVERTED UNDER EL-RUFAI'S GOVT

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A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna State has ordered an interim forfeiture of the sum of N1.37bn allegedly diverted from the coffers of the state government into a private account during the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai between May 2015 and May 2023.

The money allegedly diverted into an account belonging to Indo Kaduna Marts JV Nigeria Limited was part of the funds released for a botched light rail project in the state during the past administration.

The presiding Judge, Justice H. Buhari, issued the forfeiture order on February 28, 2025, following an ex parte application brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which traced the diverted fund to a private bank account.

The judge also directed ICPC to publish a notice in two national newspapers, calling for persons, whether human, juristic or artificial having interest in the property to show cause in court why the aforesaid movable property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The ICPC had on February 14, 2025, filed an ex parte application to the court, seeking the recovery of the money.

The commission argued that the light rail project was never executed under the El-Rufai administration, thereby depriving the people of Kaduna State of the benefits of the rail transportation system, which the fund was meant for.

In the ex parte application filed by its lawyer, E.O Akponimisingha on February 28, the ICPC alleged that the Kaduna State Government officials diverted the money through the Indo Kaduna MRTS JV Nig Limited, a joint venture entity set up in 2016 by the state government and Indian businesspeople.

While ruling on ICPC’s application, the judge ordered the interim forfeiture of the fund and also directed the commission to publish a notice in any two national newspapers requesting any person with interest in the money to present their claim and show cause in court why the asset should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The case has been adjourned to April 8, 2025, for interested people who may want to claim the money to make their case before the court.