ICPC Files Money Laundering Charges Against El-Rufai’s Ex-Aide, Jimi Lawal

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a five-count charge against Jimi Lawal, a former aide to Nasir el-Rufai, the ex-governor of Kaduna State, over allegations of corruption and money laundering. The charges were filed before the Federal High Court in Kaduna under the case number FCH/KD/16c/2025 by Osuobeni Akponimishingha, ICPC’s assistant chief legal officer.

Lawal, who served as a senior adviser and counsellor on the Kaduna Economic Development Council from 2019 to 2023, and earlier as a special adviser during El-Rufai’s first term, faces accusations of misappropriating state funds. The charges include allegations of illegally taking control of funds from government accounts and channeling them through private accounts linked to him.

The ICPC claims that in 2018, Lawal unlawfully transferred ₦10 million from the Kaduna State Accountant General’s Operational Account to the account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, for which he was the sole signatory. Similarly, he is accused of diverting ₦47.8 million from the Kaduna State Ministry of Finance into the same private account in July 2018.

Another charge alleges that in September 2018, while serving as a senior adviser, Lawal took ₦7.3 million from the Kaduna State Internally Generated Revenue account, transferring it to the same Solar Life Nigeria Limited account. The ICPC asserts that Lawal knew these funds were proceeds of corruption, violating sections of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In addition, the ICPC alleges that in October 2024, Lawal provided false information during an investigation, claiming that a total of ₦64.8 million received in three tranches from Kaduna State accounts was used to pay estacodes to government officials Bariatu Yusuf Mohammed and Aisha Dikko. The commission contends that this statement was false and constitutes an offense under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Lawal will stand trial on these charges alongside Umar Waziri, Yusuf Inuwa, and Solar Life Nigeria Limited. The ICPC maintains that the alleged actions contravene Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws and carry severe penalties.