BREAKING: ICPC Slams Fresh 9 Charges Against El-Rufai in Ongoing Corruption Trial
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has intensified its legal battle against the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, by filing an amended nine-count charge.
The updated charges, which focus on allegations of high-level corruption and financial misconduct, were presented during a session at the Kaduna State High Court on Monday.
The legal landscape of the trial shifted significantly as the prosecution decided to drop charges against one of the original defendants. This move has left El-Rufai to face the trial as the sole defendant.
His lead counsel, Ukpong Abang, briefed the press following the court session, noting that the defense was blindsided by the timing of the new charges.
Abang explained that the legal team received the amended documents just as the court was about to begin its sitting. “The charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court. That is why the matter could not proceed to a hearing,” he remarked.
Due to this late development, the defense team requested time to scrutinize the counts to prepare an appropriate response.
During the proceedings, the court took the former governor’s plea and considered his application for bail. The prosecution, however, has raised objections to the bail request, leading Justice Darius Khobo to schedule a ruling on the matter for Tuesday, April 14.
The specifics of the charges, marked under suit KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/2026, paint a picture of alleged systemic abuse of office. In one of the most substantial counts, the ICPC claims that in 2016, El-Rufai influenced the state government to pay N11bn to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited for a light rail project that was never completed.
Other allegations include the unauthorized approval of N289.8m in severance pay for himself—a figure far exceeding the legally mandated N20m—and the suspicious handling of over $1m from a World Bank loan intended for state development.
Furthermore, the anti-graft agency accused the former governor of attempting to compromise federal investigators through inducements and violating procurement laws regarding a multi-billion-naira CCTV contract.
These new charges follow his initial arraignment alongside businessman Amadu Sule, though the current amendment focuses exclusively on El-Rufai’s actions during his eight-year tenure.
Recall, this latest court appearance comes on the heels of another legal hurdle for the former governor. Only weeks ago, El-Rufai was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on separate 10-count charges involving money laundering and the alleged unlawful possession of over $797,000 in his private domiciliary accounts.
