The Kaduna State Assembly is initiating a probe into alleged financial misconduct involving Governor El-Rufai.

Speaker Yusuf Liman disclosed that the El-Rufai administration had allegedly misused N423 billion, resulting in substantial debt for the state. The ad hoc committee formed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly to scrutinize the financial activities, loans, and contracts during former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s tenure has submitted its findings to the House. Presenting the report during Wednesday’s plenary session, committee chairman Henry Zacharia highlighted that numerous loans obtained during El-Rufai’s leadership were reportedly mismanaged, often sidestepping proper protocols. Upon receipt of the report, Speaker Yusuf Liman stated that the alleged mismanagement led to the misappropriation of N423 billion by the El-Rufai administration, resulting in significant indebtedness for Kaduna State. The committee recommended that security and anti-corruption agencies investigate and prosecute El-Rufai and other implicated officials for various offenses, including irregular contract awards, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and the accumulation of substantial debt for Kaduna State. Additionally, the committee suggested the immediate suspension of Shizer Badda, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance during El-Rufai’s tenure, and the chairman of the state universal basic education board. It further emphasized the need for thorough investigations by law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies into key appointees from the previous administration, stressing the gravity of the situation. Tasked by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, this committee was mandated to review loans, grants, and project executions from 2015 to 2023, the duration of El-Rufai’s governorship.