A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has spent at least 126 days in custody over charges bordering on alleged abuse of office, money laundering, and wiretapping, amidst difficulty in meeting what is described as “stringent bail conditions” given to him by different courts.
If he remains in custody until the next adjourned date, September 22, 2026, he will have spent 217 days, beginning from the date of his detention on February 16, 2026. It would, however, be recalled that he was released for two days to bury his mother.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned the ex-governor’s trial for alleged wiretapping of the telephone of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, till September 22.
Our correspondent reports that El-Rufai’s detention began on February 16, after he honoured an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was grilled by crack detectives of the commission and was later released to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
His detention and arraignment followed a failed attempt by the security operatives to arrest him at the Abuja airport when he returned to the country from Egypt, where he had lived for months.
On Wednesday, February 18, reports filtered in that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took El-Rufai into custody.
But on Thursday, February 19, the ICPC, in a terse statement by its spokesman, John Odey, confirmed that the former governor was in its custody. He has remained in detention since then.
He was arraigned on April 23 for allegedly intercepting the phone conversations of the telephone line of Ribadu – a charge to which he pleaded not guilty.
The DSS had, in the further amended charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/99/2026, preferred a five-count charge against the former governor.
On May 18, he was granted bail by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, but he could not meet the conditions.
As part of the conditions attached to the bail, the judge ordered that the surety must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja, and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property at the court’s registry.
The surety, according to the judge, must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and must also provide evidence of salary payments for at least three months, authenticated by a letter from the manager of the bank within the jurisdiction of the court.
Besides, the surety is to depose an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond, and submit a recent passport photograph to the court’s registry.
