Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has visited one of his former aides, Bashir Sa’idu, arrested and detained for alleged money laundering and illegal sale of government properties at a correctional centre.

The former governor, who was accompanied by some key figures of his administration, also went to the court where Sa’idu was arraigned, but could not meet the judge.

According to a BBC Hausa report monitored in Kaduna, el-Rufa’i also went to the office of Operation Fushin Kada, but did not meet the security operatives.

The outcome of his discussions at the Police Command was not made public as the former governor did not speak to journalists.

The Nigeria Police Force confirmed the arrest and ongoing investigation of the former state government official, who was also a Chief of Staff to el-Rufa’i.

According to a source, in a petition received by the police, Sa’idu was accused of laundering N3.96 billion and misappropriating N244 million while serving the state government between 2015 and 2023.

The allegations include the sale of $45 million of state-owned foreign currency at an undervalued exchange rate of N410 per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of N498 per dollar, causing a loss of over N3.96 billion to the government.

Also, the source said the transaction breaches Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Additionally, Sa’idu is accused of failing to account for proceeds from the sale of government houses in Marafa Estate, Kaduna, amounting to approximately N244 million, which constitutes a breach of trust under Section 300 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.