THE FEDERAL High Court sitting in Kaduna has remanded former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after adjourning the hearing of his bail application to April 14.
The presiding judge, Rilwanu Aikawa, fixed the new date on Wednesday, April 1, following submissions from both the defence counsel and the prosecution in the ongoing case.
El-Rufai was recently arraigned by the Commission on a 10-count criminal charge concerning allegations of the diversion of public assets and money laundering offences.
The charges include claims that he unlawfully received about N579 million as severance allowance, far exceeding the approved entitlement, and multiple foreign currency transfers suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The anti-graft agency also alleged that the former governor received $320,800 through several transactions between 2017 and 2023, in addition to other sums in foreign currencies from individuals said to be at large. Prosecutors further accused him of conspiring to conceal the origin of funds in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Meanwhile, this is the second time the court has adjourned the bail hearing. The court had on March 24 adjourned ruling on his bail application to March 31 after to March 31 after the counsels to the accused, and litigants presented arguments.
The former governor, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
While the defence urged the court to grant bail on constitutional grounds, the prosecution opposed it, citing the gravity of the charges and the risk of interference with ongoing investigations.
El-Rufai is also scheduled to appear before the State High Court on April 10 in a separate matter instituted by the ICPC.
The proceedings at the State High Court, earlier on Tuesday, March 31, were stalled after the absence of the second defendant, Amadu Sule (Leda), prevented the arraignment from going ahead as scheduled.
Consequently, the case was adjourned to April 10, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
According to the charge sheet marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26 obtained by The ICIR, the defendants were accused of offences allegedly committed between 2015 and 2025 during and after El-Rufai’s tenure as governor.
Prosecutors alleged that, in December 2016, while serving as governor, El-Rufai 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.
