By Nkechi Eze
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to arraign the Chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi, alongside the Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Anas Muhammed Mustapha, and Deputy Director of Accounts, Mr. Ado Garba, over an alleged ₦1.02 billion money laundering case.
According to an official statement issued by ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare, the trio will appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, July 21, 2025, to answer charges bordering on criminal conspiracy and large-scale illegal financial transactions in breach of anti-corruption laws.
The Commission stated that its investigation uncovered that between November and December 2024, the defendants conspired to engage in unlawful financial practices by transferring the sum of ₦1,020,000,000.00 (One Billion and Twenty Million Naira) from KANSIEC’s Unity Bank account to SLM Agro Global Farm—an entity with no known contractual relationship with the electoral body.
In their statements to investigators, the defendants claimed the money was moved to SLM Agro Global in order to raise cash to pay ad hoc staff involved in the conduct of local government elections in the state. They also asserted that the funds were returned in cash to KANSIEC for onward disbursement.
However, the ICPC dismissed the explanation as unfounded and contradictory. The Commission revealed that documentary evidence, including a letter written by KANSIEC to Unity Bank’s Zoo Road branch, contained instructions for the direct transfer of ₦59.4 million to various accounts of 468 Electoral Officers and 42 Assistant Electoral Officers. Attached to the letter were a cheque of the same amount and full bank details of the beneficiaries.
“The bank honoured this request, and all designated officers received their payments through the banking system,” the ICPC stated. “Their claim that the banking system was too slow to accommodate timely payment was found to be a mere conjecture, a screen to hide corruption, and a lame excuse to justify the offence of money laundering.”
The anti-graft agency further disclosed other financial irregularities uncovered during the probe. One such involved a ₦20 million allocation budgeted for the screening and verification of candidates across 484 wards and 44 local government areas of Kano State, as contained in a document misleadingly titled “Operation Budget 2025 Elections.”
Contrary to the budgetary claims, ICPC investigators found that no such field exercise took place. All candidates were reportedly screened and verified at KANSIEC’s office in Kano at their own expense. Despite this, the third defendant, Mr. Ado Garba, admitted that the entire ₦20 million budgeted for the verification team was disbursed in cash to KANSIEC members.
The ICPC has described the case as a grave violation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws, particularly the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, and has assured the public of its commitment to ensuring accountability in the handling of public funds.
All three defendants are expected to enter their pleas before the trial court when the case opens formally on Monday.
