A forensic investigator with the State Security Service (SSS), Segun Kayode, has told a Kaduna State High Court how former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and some associates allegedly discussed efforts to frustrate an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Kayode, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, alleged that $600,000 was earmarked to settle EFCC officials and intermediaries in connection with an investigation involving a company identified as Singularity.
The witness gave the account on Tuesday before Justice Darius Khobo at the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kawo, Kaduna, where forensic audio recordings said to contain conversations involving El-Rufai and some of his suspected associates were played.
According to Kayode, the alleged payment comprised $500,000 and a separate $100,000, with the money purportedly intended for officials and intermediaries.
He told the court that the recorded conversations centred on alleged attempts to frustrate the EFCC investigation into Singularity.
The investigator named a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, AU Mustapha; Jimi Lawal; and Bashir El-Rufai among those allegedly mentioned in the conversations.
Kayode further alleged that Mustapha and Lawal were directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company.
The template, he claimed, was intended to facilitate a similar process involving Singularity.
The witness also 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.
In another aspect of his testimony, Kayode said the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating IHS, which he described as a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The allegations were presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor. They have yet to be established as facts by the court.
EL-RUFAI’S LAWYER OBJECTS
The hearing was also marked by a legal battle over the admissibility of Kayode’s testimony.
El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), objected to the investigator’s evidence, arguing that his name and summary of testimony were missing from the prosecution’s proof of evidence.
Erokoro maintained that the omission undermined his client’s right to a fair hearing, insisting that the defence needed adequate notice of the evidence it was expected to answer.
He cited Section 210 of the applicable Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, and argued that the prosecution should have served the subpoena on the defence.
However, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), told the court that Kayode was a subpoenaed witness and that the omission did not automatically make his testimony inadmissible.
Adedipe said the subpoena was issued and signed by the court on June 30, 2026, adding that the defence would have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged that Kayode’s name and summary of evidence were absent from the proof of evidence but held that the omission did not automatically disqualify him from testifying, provided the defence was allowed to cross-examine him.
Justice Khobo consequently overruled the objection and directed the witness to continue his testimony.
COURT SITS FOR NEARLY EIGHT HOURS
The proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 pm to 8:18 pm, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.
After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings to the court clerk, the defence complained that the document should have been provided earlier to allow counsel 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 subsequently adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination.
The next hearing is expected to allow the defence to question Kayode on the audio recordings, his forensic findings and the allegations presented by the prosecution.
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