The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a five-count charge of unlawful diversion of public funds and money laundering against Jimi Lawal, a former senior councillor and adviser to Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State.
Lawal, along with Umar Waziri, Yusuf Inuwa, and Solar Life Nigeria Limited, is accused of financial misappropriation. The charges were filed on January 15, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna under charge number FCH/KD/16c/2025.
According to the ICPC, the alleged offences occurred between 2018 and 2019 when Lawal, who was serving as a Senior Special Adviser/Counsellor to El-Rufai, allegedly misappropriated government funds. One of the key allegations is that in 2018, Lawal indirectly took control of N10,000,000 from the Kaduna State Accountant General’s Operational Account (Nigeria 0211139802) via the Guaranty Trust Bank Account Automated System (GAPS) and transferred it to an account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, a company for which he was the sole signatory.
The ICPC claims that Lawal ought to have known the funds were proceeds of corruption, and by facilitating the transfer, he violated Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022. Additionally, Lawal is accused of diverting N47,840,000 from the Kaduna State Ministry of Finance through another GTB account (number 0130133086) in July 2018.
In another instance, the commission alleges that in September 2018, Lawal transferred N7,320,562 from the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service account, held at the United Bank for Africa (UBA), to the Guaranty Trust Bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited.
Furthermore, the ICPC has accused Lawal of making false statements during the investigation, claiming that the total sum of N64,800,562 consisting of three separate transfers of N10,000,000, N47,840,000, and N7,320,562 was paid to two individuals, Bariatu Yusuf Mohammed and Aisha Dikko, as estacode. The ICPC insists that this statement was false and that Lawal knew it was untrue when making the claim.
The charges filed against Lawal include violations of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, specifically Section 25(1)(a), which deals with false statements during investigations.
The ICPC’s filing marks a significant step in addressing allegations of financial misconduct in public office, with Lawal and his co-defendants facing serious legal consequences if convicted.
