The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has adjourned the hearing of two pre-trial motions filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, in the corruption case brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The hearing is now scheduled for June 1, 2026.
El-Rufai faces allegations of financial misconduct, including the release of billions of naira in state funds for projects that were reportedly not executed. The former governor has denied these allegations.
The court had previously adjourned from Wednesday to Thursday for a ruling on motions seeking variations of some bail conditions earlier imposed on El-Rufai. On April 14, Justice Rilwanu Aikawa granted El-Rufai bail in the sum of N200 million, with two sureties in the same amount. The court also ordered that the former governor remain in ICPC custody until the bail conditions were fulfilled.
One of the sureties was required to be a senior civil servant not below Grade Level 15, while the second had to be a recognized elder in the state. Additionally, the court directed the sureties to deposit their international passports and barred El-Rufai from making public comments on the case.
In the ruling on Thursday, Justice Aikawa declined the defendant's request to allow the first surety to provide a bank guarantee of N200 million instead of a cash deposit. However, the court granted a variation allowing the second surety to be recognized by a District Head, rather than the Kaduna State Council of Elders as initially ordered.
Counsel for the former governor, Mustapha Abubakar (SAN), informed the court of two motions filed by the defense seeking to strike out documents attached to the charges from the ICPC. The defense indicated it was not prepared to argue the motions immediately, prompting the court to adjourn to 1:00 PM on June 1, 2026, for the hearing of these motions.
