THE FEDERAL High court in Kaduna has granted bail to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following his arraignment on charges brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
El-Rufai was taken into custody after a court session earlier in April 2026, as the court fixed a later date to rule on his bail application. The court had adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for a decision on whether he should be granted bail or not.
According to reports, during earlier proceedings, journalists were not allowed into the courtroom. This development raised concerns about how the trial was being handled. The case also faced delays after the prosecution introduced an amended nine-count charge against El-Rufai.
The amended charge made changes to the earlier case, removing Amadu Sule, who was initially listed as a co-defendant, and leaving El-Rufai as the only accused facing trial. His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, a senior advocate, said the defence team was not informed ahead of time about the new charges.
“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 this development, the judge, Darius Khobo, adjourned the matter to April 14, for the hearing of the bail application.
During the bail hearing, El-Rufai’s legal team asked the court to grant him bail, stating that he is willing to comply with any conditions set by the court. The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that he could interfere with witnesses.
After hearing both sides, the court granted bail to the former governor. The court granted him bail in the sum of N100 million with sureties, including conditions that he must provide responsible guarantors. Details of the full bail conditions were not immediately made public at the time of reporting.
El-Rufai is facing charges filed by the ICPC, including allegations that he approved the release of about N11 billion from Kaduna State funds to an unregistered company for a light rail project that was not carried out. He is also accused of approving and receiving about N289.8 million as severance allowance beyond what is allowed by law.
Further allegations include the handling of more than $1.08 million from a World Bank loan, the award of a N4.6 billion CCTV contract in Kaduna in violation of procurement rules, and involvement in an alleged plan to bribe federal investigators.
The former governorhas denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty in court.
The ICIR reports that he is also facing a separate 10-count charge before a Federal High Court, where he was earlier arraigned before a judge, Rilwan M. Aikawa, on allegations related to money laundering and unlawful handling of public funds.