El-Rufai Probe: Kaduna Finance Commissioner Quizzed by ICPC

Shizzer Bada, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance, has been questioned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as part of an ongoing investigation into the administration of former governor Nasir el-Rufai.

Sources confirmed that Bada was summoned by the anti-graft agency over a week ago and has since been released. Bada previously held the position of Accountant-General before becoming Commissioner of Finance during el-Rufai’s administration.

This development follows the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s recommendation in June to investigate el-Rufai’s government over allegations of financial mismanagement. An ad hoc committee report accused the administration of diverting N423 billion in state funds and engaging in money laundering.

The probe extends to other key figures in el-Rufai’s government, including Jimi Lawal, a former senior adviser on the Kaduna Economic Development Council, who was also interrogated by the ICPC in August.

El-Rufai, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated. In response to the Assembly’s probe, he filed a lawsuit challenging the accusations. The investigation continues as the ICPC works to unravel the claims of corruption during his tenure.