Court frees El-Rufai in abuse of power case

An Abuja High court on Friday freed the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai , of charges of abusing his power during his tenure as minister.

The court exonerated and acquitted the minister who has been on trial since 2008  of any criminal charges.

El-Rufai was charged under the Corrupt and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 for allegedly using his ministerial position to revoke a plot of land originally owned by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc, and re-awarding it to his wife, Hadiza Ahmed.

El-Rufai was arraigned in 2008 and re-arraigned in April, 2011 by the EFCC alongside two others for allegedly re-allocating two plots of land previously allocated to the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria and the Nigeria Postal Services, to his family and associates.

Others charged with him were the former Director General of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Altine Jubril and the former General Manager, AGIS, Ismaila Iro.

In his ruling, Justice Sadiq Umar held that the evidence provided by the prosecution was flawed and filled with material contradictions.

He also held that all the ingredients of the alleged offences of conferring an undue advantage on his family and associates were not proved.

El-Rufai had in a no-case-submission filed by defence counsel Kanu Agabi SAN and Akin Olujimi SAN, argued that as Minister of the FCT, he was empowered by the constitution to grant and revoke land.

Meanwhile, El-Rufai has expressed his intention to forgive all those behind his trial.

Speaking after his acquittal, he said he intended to “move on, stepping confidently into the future with forgiveness and goodwill devoid of the cobwebs of grudge.”