El-Rufai’s bail hearing stalled again, court fixes June date

The Kaduna State High Court has adjourned the bail hearing of former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to the first week of June 2026, further delaying a ruling on his request for pre-trial release.

Trial judge, Darius Khobo, announced the adjournment on Tuesday as El-Rufai was brought to court by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Counsel to the former governor, Ukpon Akpan, criticised the repeated postponements, describing them as a deliberate attempt to frustrate his client’s right to a timely hearing.

The latest adjournment follows an earlier shift by the court, which had fixed April 21 for ruling on the bail application after sitting on April 14, only to defer the matter again.

El-Rufai was arraigned on April 13 by the ICPC on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office. The anti-graft agency had earlier dropped a co-defendant, Amadu Sule, from the case.

In a separate matter before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, the former governor had been granted bail in the sum of N200 million by Rilwanu Aikawa.

He has, however, remained in ICPC custody since February 19, after his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

El-Rufai was briefly released on compassionate grounds on March 27 to attend the burial of his mother, who died the same day, before being returned to custody.