The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has discovered N1.37 billion allegedly diverted from funds allocated for Kaduna State’s now-abandoned light rail project.

The money, it was learned, was siphoned into a private account during the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who led the state from 2015 to 2023.

The ICPC detailed its findings in an application filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the forfeiture of the funds. The commission argued that the alleged diversion deprived Kaduna residents of a vital rail transport system.

According to the ICPC, the fraud stemmed from a purported joint venture agreement signed in October 2016 between the El-Rufai-led administration and Indo Kaduna Mrts JV Nigeria Limited. Payments to the entity began in December 2016, even though the company was not officially incorporated until May 10, 2017.

Between December 2016 and January 2017, the El-Rufai administration approved the payment of N11.1 billion to Mrts JV Nigeria’s account with Sterling Bank. Out of this amount, N1.37 billion was traced to a private account.

On February 14, 2024, the ICPC sought an interim forfeiture order and requested that notices be published in national newspapers, inviting any claimants to show cause why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.

The investigation began after the ICPC received a petition in June 2024 from a lawyer, M. Yahaya, alleging financial misappropriation by officials of the El-Rufai administration. The commission’s probe found that the Kaduna State Government had transferred N11.1 billion in multiple tranches to the joint venture’s account before it was officially registered.

Payments included N890.3 million from the state treasury on December 23, 2016, N2.3 billion on January 10, 2017, and two more tranches of N3 billion and N4.9 billion on January 17, 2017.

On the same day that the final payments were made, Skipper Nigeria Limited, linked to the joint venture, directed Sterling Bank to place the funds in a fixed deposit account. By July 2019, Indo Kaduna Mrts JV Nigeria Limited refunded N10 billion to the Kaduna State Government, leaving a balance of N1.046 billion.

The fixed deposit had also accrued N326.8 million in interest, both of which were allegedly diverted to accounts belonging to GTA Engineering Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Skipper Nigeria Limited.

The ICPC claims that the N1.046 billion was labeled as payment for feasibility study, but no such study was conducted. The commission has since recovered both the diverted sum and the accrued interest, totaling N1.37 billion, and is now seeking a court order for its forfeiture.

Former appointees of El-Rufai have denied any wrongdoing, calling the ICPC’s move an abuse of power. They argue that the project was part of a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer agreement requiring Kaduna State to contribute 15 percent equity, with the rest funded by an Indian loan.

However, the project stalled due to the federal government’s failure to provide a sovereign guarantee. The former officials insist that the joint venture was legally established and challenge critics to present evidence of misconduct.