US Court orders indefinite detention of Ogun Gov’s ex-aide, Abidemi Rufai

The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday ordered the detention of Mr. Abidemi Rufai in the wake of allegations that the surety provided is a suspected fraudster.

This order was decreed by the court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that Rufai was arrested as part of a sting operation by the FBI into a Washington state’s $650 million unemployment fraud.

He allegedly used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

“This is the first, but will not be the last, significant arrest in our ongoing investigation of ESD fraud,” Tessa Gorman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the court order at Tacoma was granted by U.S. District Judge, Benjamin Settle.

“The defendant shall remain in custody pending this Court’s decision on the government’s motion for review,” Mr Settle was quoted to have said.

Rufai, was an aide to the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun. Athough his lawyer, Michael Barrows, said Mr Rufai denied “involvement in these transactions”, Governor Abiodun has since suspended him.

Mr Rufai’s first appearance in court was last week Wednesday.

He was denied bail because his brother, Alaba Rufai, who is listed in court records, could not post the $300,000 surety bond for his bail.

He got a nurse, Nekpen Soyemi, to stand in for him as surety but the U.S. government said Ms Soyemi is a suspected fraudster and could not be allowed to stand surety for Mr Rufai.