A Kaduna State High Court has again denied bail to Alhaji Bashir Sa’idu, former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ordering his continued remand at the Correctional Facility over charges of money laundering, embezzlement, and theft.
Sa’idu, who served as the Commissioner of Finance during El-Rufai’s administration, is facing a 10-count charge brought by the prosecution. Among the allegations is the sale of $45 million in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government at an undervalued rate of N410 per dollar instead of the parallel market rate of N498. The transaction allegedly caused a loss of N3.96 billion to the state, which the prosecution claims was laundered in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
During Tuesday’s proceedings before Justice Isa Aliyu, Sa’idu pleaded not guilty to all charges. His counsel, M.I. Abubakar, urged the court to grant bail, arguing that his client had been in custody since January 2, 2025, and required time to prepare his defence.
However, the prosecution, led by Professor Nasiru Aliyu, opposed the application, citing the legal provision allowing seven days to respond to a bail request. After a brief recess, Justice Aliyu upheld the prosecution’s right to the statutory response period and adjourned the hearing of the bail application to January 23, 2025.
The court’s decision ensures Sa’idu will remain in custody as the legal proceedings continue.
