Abidemi Rufai

In 2021, Abidemi Rufai, a senior aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, was arrested and charged in the United States for allegedly defrauding Washington State's unemployment benefits system of $350,000. Rufai, who served as Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals, was accused of using stolen personal information to file fraudulent unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case gained international attention as it involved a high-ranking Nigerian government official committing crimes abroad.

The charges emerged during the pandemic period when unemployment benefit systems worldwide became targets for fraudsters exploiting emergency relief programs. Rufai allegedly used the identities of over 100 Washington residents to submit false claims between March and October 2020, when pandemic-related unemployment benefits were expanded and processing was expedited. His arrest highlighted how some Nigerian officials were allegedly exploiting international systems while holding positions of public trust at home.