DSS investigator says $500,000 and $100,000 were set aside for the alleged payments
A forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 for officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.
Kayode, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, made the allegation while testifying before the Kaduna State High Court in Kawo, Kaduna, presided over by Justice Darius Khobo.
He told the court that $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the payments. He also said forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.
According to Kayode, the conversations concerned alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.
He said a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), another individual and Bashir El-Rufai were among those allegedly mentioned in the recordings.
The investigator told the court that the SAN and the other individual were allegedly directed to meet a man identified as Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company. The template was allegedly intended for use in a similar process involving Singularity.
Kayode further alleged that the discussions included plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
He also told the court that the recordings included discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating a company he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 p.m. to 8:18 p.m., with about two hours devoted to playing the recordings.
Earlier, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), objected to Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were not included in the prosecution’s proof of evidence.
Erokoro said the omission undermined his client’s right to a fair hearing, arguing that the defence was entitled to know the evidence it would be required to answer.
However, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), told the court that Kayode had been subpoenaed and that the omission did not automatically make his testimony inadmissible.
Adedipe said the subpoena had been issued and signed by the court on June 30, 2026, adding that the defence would have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness. He also cited judicial authorities in support of his argument.
Erokoro maintained that the issue was not whether the witness could testify, but whether the defence had been given adequate notice to prepare for his evidence. He relied on Section 210 of the applicable Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, arguing that the prosecution should have served the subpoena on the defence.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were absent from the proof of evidence but said the records showed he had been subpoenaed.
Justice Khobo ruled that the omission did not automatically make the testimony inadmissible, provided the defence was allowed to cross-examine the witness.
After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings to the court clerk, the defence complained that the document should have been served earlier to allow it to study its contents.
The judge ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy of the document, admitted as Exhibit One, for examination.
The court adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination, following agreement by the prosecution and defence.
El-Rufai arrived at the court premises at about 11:50 a.m., ahead of the scheduled noon hearing, amid tight security. He was accompanied by the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Isah Ashiru.
His appearance followed an order by Justice Khobo directing the ICPC to produce him in court for the resumed proceedings.
The hearing resumed days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed El-Rufai’s appeal against the state High Court’s refusal to grant him bail.
In a judgment delivered on October 9, the appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision, ruling that El-Rufai had not established sufficient grounds to justify overturning the refusal of bail.
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations of financial misconduct linked to his administration of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
