BREAKING: Court Grants Ex-Kaduna Governor El-Rufai Bail Amid Ongoing ICPC Trial
The Federal High Court has granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following his detention over corruption charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The ruling marks a major development in the ongoing trial. It comes amid growing public attention on the case.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact conditions attached to the bail were yet to be disclosed.
The decision followed his court appearance earlier in the day under heavy security. Proceedings took place amid tight restrictions, reflecting the high-profile nature of the case. Security presence around the court premises was visibly increased.
Earlier reports indicated that journalists were denied access to the courtroom during proceedings. This move sparked concern among observers and raised questions about transparency in the trial.
The case had earlier suffered a setback. This was after the prosecution introduced an amended nine-count charge against the former governor. The fresh charges significantly altered the structure of the case.
Initially, the charges were filed against El-Rufai and one Amadu Sule. However, the amended filing removed Sule as a co-defendant. This left the former governor as the sole accused in the matter.
Reacting to the development at the time, his counsel, Ubong Akpan (SAN), expressed surprise. He said the defence team was not given prior notice before the new charges were introduced in court.
“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,” Akpan had said.
Following the development, Justice Darius Khobo adjourned the case to April 14, 2026, to hear the bail application. That application has now resulted in the court granting bail.
The allegations against El-Rufai are extensive. They relate to his time in office as governor of Kaduna State. One of the major claims is that he approved the release of about N11 billion to an unregistered company for a light rail project that was never executed.
The ICPC also alleged that the former governor approved and received about N289.8 million as severance allowance. This amount is said to be above what is legally allowed.
Other allegations include the handling of over $1.08 million linked to a World Bank loan. The anti-corruption agency further accused him of breaching procurement laws in the award of a N4.6 billion CCTV contract in Kaduna metropolis.
He is also accused of conspiring with an associate to bribe federal investigators.
El-Rufai has denied all the allegations. He insists that he acted within the law during his time in office.
In a related case, Politics Nigeria earlier reported that the former governor is facing a separate 10-count charge before another division of the Federal High Court. The charges in that case border on alleged money laundering, as well as conversion and possession of public property.
