ICPC Files Lawsuit Against El-Rufai’s Former Aide, Jimi Lawal Over Alleged Money Laundering

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged Jimi Lawal, a former senior adviser to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, with five counts of unlawfully diverting public funds and money laundering.

Jimi Lawal is facing the charges alongside Umar Waziri, Yusuf Inuwa, and Solar Life Nigeria Limited for alleged financial misconduct.

The charges were filed by ICPC’s Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, on January 15, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, under the case number FCH/KD/16c/2025.

According to the charge sheet, the ICPC claims that in 2018, Lawal illegally took control of N10,000,000 from the Kaduna State Accountant General’s Operational Account and transferred it to the account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where he was the only authorized signatory.

The commission said that Lawal should have known the funds were linked to corruption, accusing him of violating the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.

Additionally, ICPC alleged that in July 2018, Lawal took N47,840,000 from the Kaduna State Ministry of Finance and transferred it to the same Solar Life Nigeria Limited account.

Another charge accuses Jimi Lawal of unlawfully taking N7,320,562 in September 2018 from the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service account and moving it to the Solar Life Nigeria Limited account.

In a further accusation, ICPC claims that Lawal made false statements during an investigation, telling officials that the total amount of N64,800,562 transferred from the Kaduna State Government to Solar Life Nigeria Limited was for estacode payments to two individuals, Bariatu Yusuf Mohammed and Aisha Dikko.

The ICPC arguesld that Jimi Lawal knew his statements were false, constituting an offense under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

KanyiDaily recalls that Former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had dismissed allegations of financial mismanagement during his time in office, stating he is willing to swear by the Quran to prove his innocence.