The Kaduna State High Court has postponed its ruling on a bail application for Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, former Chief of Staff to Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State.
The ruling is now scheduled for January 16, 2025.
Sa’idu, who also served as Commissioner of Finance, was arraigned by the Chief Magistrate Court in Rigasa and ordered to be remanded at the Kaduna Correctional Centre.
His detention follows his arrest by security operatives on December 30, 2024, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.
A security source, speaking anonymously, revealed that Sa’idu implicated El-Rufai in his confessional statement to the police.
According to the source, “The former Chief of Staff alleged that he sold 45 million US dollars in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government, equivalent to N18.4 billion at the significantly undervalued rate of N410 per dollar. This was instead of the parallel market rate of N498 per dollar, with criminal intent, resulting in a N3.9 billion loss to the government in 2022.”
The prosecution further alleged that the N3.9 billion discrepancy was laundered by Sa’idu, in violation of Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
But, one of the counsels to Sai’du, Oladipo Tolani SAN while responding to the allegations in an interview with journalists described the allegations as baseless.
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According to him, “Bashir Saidu has been in detention since 2nd January, 2025 when he was captured along the Kaduna-Zaria highway at Rigachiku, Igabi Local Government Area of the state.
“After his detention, we filed an application for bail which was argued today (yesterday). Meanwhile, yesterday (Wednesday), the state government filed a charge against Saidu. The matter was adjourned for ruling on 16th January, 2025.”
Reacting to claims that Saidu indicated his principle at the court, he said, “Whoever told you that evidence was given by a chief security officer is a lie, no evidence was taken, it was only lawyers business, argument of bail application. No testimony was given.”