The Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna, yesterday, adjourned ruling on the bail application filed by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, till today, even as a separate Federal High Court, in Abuja, fixed June 17 to hear his N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
At the Kaduna proceedings, El-Rufai, who is facing a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering, was brought to court under tight security to continue his trial.
The heavy security presence at the court premises mirrored the situation during his earlier arraignment before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, reflecting the high-profile nature of the case.
Following the proceedings, counsel to the former governor, Mr Ukpong Abang, SAN, confirmed that the hearing of the bail application had been adjourned till today. “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, we are in the middle of work. I have to go and file responses. The hearing of the bail application has been adjourned till tomorrow,” he said briefly.
El-Rufai, who had spent over a month in detention, was subsequently escorted out of the court premises by operatives of the ICPC in a white Hilux vehicle. The anti-graft agency had earlier granted him temporary release on compassionate grounds following the death of his mother, Hajiya Ummar El-Rufai, in Cairo, Egypt.
After the proceedings at the State High Court, the ICPC moved El-Rufai to the Federal High Court within the same premises for continuation of his trial. The court had earlier fixed March 31, 2026, for hearing of pending applications, including his bail request, before the latest adjournment.
