Just hours after Bashir Sa’idu, a former Commissioner in Nasiru El-Rufai’s administration, was taken into custody at a Kaduna correctional facility on charges of corruption and money laundering, the former Governor made an unexpected visit to the facility.
Accompanied by several prominent allies from his administration, El-Rufai also sought to meet with the presiding judge at the court where Sa’idu was arraigned, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
According to reports, El-Rufai later went to the office of Operation Fushin Kada, the unit responsible for Sa’idu’s arrest, but was unable to engage with the security personnel present.
Sa’idu, who held the positions of Commissioner of Finance and Chief of Staff during El-Rufai’s tenure, is facing serious allegations, including laundering N3.96 billion and misappropriating N244 million.
These charges stem from transactions involving the undervalued sale of $45 million in state-owned foreign currency at an exchange rate of N410 per dollar, significantly lower than the parallel market rate of N498, resulting in considerable losses for Kaduna State.
Additional accusations involve the mismanagement of funds from the sale of government properties in Marafa Estate, valued at around N244 million.
Officials have stated that these actions violate the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 and the Penal Code of Kaduna State from 2017.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly had previously flagged Sa’idu’s financial activities and referred the matter to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC, leading to the confiscation of his international passport.
While some critics argue that the arrest is politically motivated and orchestrated by Operation Fushin Kada, police officials maintain that it is based on credible allegations of financial misconduct.
Following his visits to the correctional facility and police command, El-Rufai opted not to speak to the media. His actions, however, have attracted significant public scrutiny, raising questions about his potential involvement or support for Sa’idu.
