Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna State has granted the former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, bail.
This comes amid separate proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court, where the ICPC recently amended its charges against the former governor. El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
He is being charged for alleged financial misconduct, including deposits into his domiciliary account and how his earnings were handled by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
However, El-Rufai’s bail application was stalled at the Kaduna State High Court, as the presiding judge, Justice Darius Khobo, has reserved ruling on the bail application to April 21, 2026.
The former governor is being arraigned before the state high court on multiple charges bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office levelled against him by the ICPC.
El-Rufai was brought before the state court on Monday, April 13, 2026, by ICPC operatives and personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS). He is facing an amended nine-count charge after the prosecution reviewed its initial filing.
According to documents from the Kaduna State High Court, one of the key allegations is that the former governor authorised the release of about ₦11 billion from Kaduna State funds to an unregistered entity for a proposed light rail project that was never executed.
The prosecution also accused El-Rufai of approving and receiving ₦289.8 million as severance allowance, an amount said to be far above the legally approved entitlement of about ₦20 million, thereby conferring undue financial benefit on himself.
In another count, he is alleged to have mismanaged over $1.08 million, part of a World Bank loan granted to Kaduna State, in contravention of the terms governing the facility.
El-Rufai has denied all allegations
The ICPC argued that ongoing investigations made it necessary to proceed cautiously, warning that granting bail at this stage could interfere with evidence collection.
The defence team, led by Ukpong Abang, maintained that El-Rufai had fully cooperated with investigators and posed no flight risk. Following submissions from both sides, the State High Court adjourned the ruling to Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
“Our client has complied with all investigative requests and is prepared to abide by any bail conditions the court may impose,” said Abang.
