Money Laundering: Court Denies Bail to El-Rufai’s Former Aide, Orders Continued Detention

• Kaduna State High Court denied bail to Alhaji Bashir Sa’idu, ex-Chief of Staff to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on money laundering charges
• Sa’idu allegedly sold $45 million in state funds at an undervalued rate, causing a loss of N3.96 billion to Kaduna State

A Kaduna State High Court has once again denied bail to Alhaji Bashir Sa’idu, the ex-Chief of Staff to former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai. The court ordered his return to the Correctional Facility pending further proceedings.

Sa’idu faces 10 charges, including alleged money laundering, embezzlement, and theft. During a session before Justice Isa Aliyu on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were formally presented.

One of the allegations claims Sa’idu sold $45 million in hard currency belonging to Kaduna State in 2022. The sale reportedly occurred at a significantly undervalued rate of N410 per dollar instead of the parallel market rate of N498, causing a loss of N3.96 billion to the state.

The prosecution alleged that Sa’idu laundered the N3.96 billion, violating Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Defense counsel, M.I. Abubakar, urged the court to grant bail, citing Sa’idu’s detention since January 2, 2025. Abubakar argued that bail would allow his client adequate time and resources to prepare his defense.

However, prosecution counsel Professor Nasiru Aliyu opposed the application, stating that the law grants the prosecution seven days to respond to bail requests.

After a brief recess, Justice Aliyu ruled in favor of allowing the prosecution the legally allotted time to file its response. The court adjourned the case to January 23, 2025, for a bail application hearing.