Alleged fraud: Court grants bail to el-Rufai’s ally, Jimmy Lawal, three others

The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday granted bail to another ally of ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Senior Advisor Counselor Jimmy Lawal, and three others.

The court demanded their international passports, two sureties each, and landed properties as conditions for their release on bail over allegations of fraud against the Kaduna State Government.

The defendants were required to provide two sureties, each with property worth ₦50 million in like sum, with the landed property located in Kaduna and verified by a Certificate of Occupancy (CofO).

The court also directed the defendants to deposit their international passports, national passports, green passports, and official passports, if any, with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

Jimmy Lawal and the three others were arraigned before the Federal High Court over an alleged ₦64 million fraud by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons, including Lawal Adebisi, a former Senior Special Adviser to El-Rufai; Umar Waziri, the former Accountant General of Kaduna State; Yusuf Inuwa, a former aide to the ex-governor; and Solar Life Nigeria Limited
(the company believed to have received the diverted funds), were charged with laundering ₦64.8 million.

According to the ICPC, in the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, the accused were alleged to have diverted the funds in three tranches of ₦10 million, ₦47.84 million, and ₦7.32 million to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Jimmy Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the court sitting, counsel to one of the defendants, Johnson Usman (SAN), said: “Today, the case came up for arraignment. The four defendants have been arraigned, and we moved a motion for their bail, which the court granted.

“The court, however, ordered that pending the perfection of their bail conditions, they should be remanded in prison custody. We hope the perfection will be done swiftly, possibly by tomorrow.

“The defendants were asked to provide two sureties each, with property worth ₦50 million in like sum. The sureties must have landed property in Kaduna, and the CofO must be verified by the Registrar of the Court.

“The court also demanded that the defendants must deposit their international passports, national passports, green passports, and official passports, if any, with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court in Kaduna,” he said.

Usman expressed optimism that the defendants would meet the bail conditions soon to secure their release from the prison where they are currently being remanded.
The case was adjourned to March 26 and 27, 2025, for trial.