A forensic investigator with the State Security Service, Segun Kayode, has told a Kaduna State High Court that former governor Nasir El-Rufai and some associates allegedly planned to pay $600,000 to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials and intermediaries to frustrate an investigation.
Kayode, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, made the allegation on Tuesday while testifying before Justice Darius Khobo in Kaduna.
He said forensic audio recordings captured conversations allegedly involving El-Rufai and some associates about efforts to halt an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.
According to the witness, $500,000 and a further $100,000 were allegedly earmarked for the proposed payments.
Kayode named a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, AU Mustapha, Jimi Lawal and Bashir El-Rufai among those allegedly mentioned in the recordings.
He told the court that Mustapha and Lawal were allegedly instructed to obtain from one Ahmadu Sule a template previously used to liquidate another company, with a view to applying a similar process to Singularity.
The investigator further alleged that the conversations 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 contained discussions about preventing an EFCC investigation into IHS, which he described as a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The allegations form part of the prosecution’s case and have yet to be established in court. El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
The proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.
Earlier, defence counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN) challenged Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the investigator’s name and summary of his 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 needed adequate notice of the evidence it was expected to answer.
However, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), argued that Kayode had been subpoenaed by the court and that the omission did not automatically render his testimony inadmissible.
Adedipe said the subpoena was issued on June 30, 2026, and maintained that the defence would have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.
In his ruling, Justice Khobo acknowledged that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were missing from the proof of evidence but held that the omission did not automatically invalidate his testimony, provided the defence was allowed to cross-examine him.
The judge overruled the objection and admitted Kayode’s written findings as Exhibit One. He also allowed the defence to obtain a certified true copy of the document for examination after the lawyers complained that it had not been served early enough.
The court adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.
El-Rufai appeared in court under tight security after an order directing the ICPC to produce him for the hearing. His appearance came days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed his appeal against the refusal of bail.
The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 18 over allegations of financial misconduct relating to his administration of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023. He has maintained that his prosecution is politically motivated.
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