The Kaduna state high court has declined to hear the bail application filed by Mohammed Bashir Sa’idu, a former commissioner in the state, in the alleged money laundering trial.
The Kaduna government arraigned Sa’idu on Tuesday on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, embezzlement, and stealing.
The former commissioner pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The state government accused Sa’idu of “selling $45 million in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government, equivalent to N18,450,000,000, at the significantly undervalued rate of N410 per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of ₦498 per dollar, with criminal intent, resulting in an N3,960,000,000 loss to the government”.
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The state government said the alleged offence took place in 2022 when Sa’idu was commissioner for finance under the administration of Nasir el-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna.
During the court’s proceedings, M. I. Abubakar, the counsel to the former commissioner, said he has a pending bail application for his client.
The counsel asked the court to grant bail to his client since he was arrested on January 2, 2025.
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He added that the former commissioner should be granted the bail to enable him to prepare for his defence.
However, Nasiru Aliyu, the prosecuting counsel, objected to the bail application.
Aliyu told the court that the law provides that the prosecution be allowed seven days to file its response to the bail application.
In his ruling, Isa Aliyu, the presiding judge, granted the prayers of the prosecution and adjourned the case to January 23 for a hearing of the bail application.
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Sa’idu served as the commissioner for local government affairs, chief of staff, and commissioner for finance during the administration of el-Rufai.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had also filed a similar charge against the former commissioner at the federal high court in Kaduna.
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