The Kaduna State High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a bail application filed by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to April 14, 2026.
El-Rufai appeared before the court amid tight security as proceedings continued in a case filed against him and a co-defendant, Amadu Sule, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), involving alleged financial impropriety and abuse of office.
During the court session, El-Rufai entered a not-guilty plea to all nine charges brought against him by the ICPC on March 18, 2026.
The ICPC, on the other hand, had requested that the second defendant, Amadu Sule, be removed from the arraignment with all charges against him, and the judge granted the plea.
El-Rufai’s counsel, Ukpon Akpan, however, urged the court to grant his client bail, arguing that the former governor posed no flight risk and was willing to comply with any conditions imposed by the court.
But the prosecution opposed the application, maintaining that the charges required careful judicial consideration.
After listening to submissions from both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Darius Khobo, declined to deliver an immediate ruling and instead adjourned the matter to April 14 for continuation of the hearing and possible determination of the bail request.
“The motion for bail was taken, and the court took the plea of the defendant. The prosecution amended the charge and removed one person, leaving only Mallam El-Rufai to face prosecution.
“The case has been adjourned till tomorrow tentatively, for ruling on the application for bail.
The former governor’s counsel later said that the charges preferred against his client were given to them on Monday morning, the reason they could not proceed to the hearing.
“The charges are basically new, so whatever it is that we see, we are going to study them, probably do our analysis, and let the world know. There is nothing we can do now about the charges; they are brand new.
“They were given to us while we were in court. For now, El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody,” Akpan added.
The case has drawn significant public attention, given El-Rufai’s prominence in Nigerian politics and his tenure as the governor of Kaduna State.
