FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has been brought before the Kaduna State High Court on fresh and expanded criminal charges bordering on alleged fraud, abuse of office, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust.
The former governor was arraigned on Tuesday alongside one co-defendant, Amadu Sule (Leda), in a case filed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The latest arraignment came amid ongoing legal proceedings in which El-Rufai is also being prosecuted by the ICPC alongside co-defendant Joel Adoga, over allegations bordering on corruption, abuse of office and money laundering, which is still pending at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
In the case, the Federal High Court in Kaduna recently adjourned the hearing of El-Rufai’s bail application to March 31, 2026. The court’s decision followed arguments from both prosecution and defence counsel, with defence lawyer, Ukpon Akpan, urging the court to grant bail to his client on constitutional grounds.
The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that the charges were serious and that bail could hinder ongoing investigations.
El-Rufai was, however, released by the commission, on Friday, March 27, to attend her mother burial.
According to the charge sheet marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26 obtained by The ICIR, the defendants are accused of offences allegedly committed between 2015 and 2025 during and after El-Rufai’s tenure as governor.
Prosecutors alleged that in December 2016, El-Rufai, while serving as governor, induced the Kaduna State Government to approve an alleged N11 billion payment to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited for a light rail project that was never executed.
He was also accused of allegedly approving and receiving severance payments exceeding N289 million in 2020 and 2023, above his legally entitled entitlements, an act prosecutors say amounts to abuse of office and corruption.
In another count, the prosecution alleged that between March and November 2022, El-Rufai and another person at large dishonestly disposed of $1,085,066.38 in World Bank loan funds, allegedly in violation of a loan agreement.
“Count 4: That you MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M) and one other person (now at large) on or about March, 2022 to November, 2022 at Kaduna, Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst being the Governor of Kaduna State, entrusted with dominion over the sum of $1,085, 066.38 [One Million, Eighty Five Thousand, Sixty Six United States Dollars and Thirty Eight cents- which was part of the funds obtained as loan by the Kaduna State Government from the World Bank] dishonestly disposed the said property in violation of the loan agreement and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 300 of the Kaduna State Penal Code 2017,” the count 4 charge read.
The charge further alleged that in October 2025, El-Rufai and his brother, Bashir Ahmad El-Rufai (now at large), allegedly conspired outside Nigeria to offer monetary inducement to federal investigators to compromise an ongoing probe involving Singularity Network Security Limited.
“COUNT 5: That you, MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI (M), BASHIR AHAMAD EL- RUFAI (M) (now at large), sometime in October, 2025, at Dubai, United Arab Emirates (outside Nigeria) and Cairo, Egypt (outside Nigeria), did conspire amongst yourselves to corruptly give a monetary benefit to investigators working for the Federal Government of Nigeria, at Abuja, Nigeria, on account of favour to be shown by the said investigators in order to compromise an ongoing investigation involving SINGULARITY NETWORK SECURITY LIMITED and its staff, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 26(1)(c) and 66(1) and punishable under Section 9(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
Other counts also accuse him of unlawfully awarding contracts worth billions of naira for CCTV installations in Kaduna metropolis in alleged violation of procurement laws, and of conferring unfair advantage on associates through state contracts and land allocations.
Additional allegations include conspiracy to conceal the origin of funds and violations of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The ICIR reported that El-Rufai’s arrest by the ICPC, followed earlier invitations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he had appeared for questioning over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. He was later re-arrested after initially being granted bail following two nights in EFCC custody.
In a separate development, the Kaduna State House of Assembly had in 2024 indicted him over alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and recommended further investigation by anti-graft agencies.
The ongoing legal battles have drawn public attention, with supporters and political allies describing the proceedings as politically motivated, while authorities maintain that the cases are based on documented allegations of financial misconduct.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M