Kaduna court adjourns El-Rufai’s bail application to April 1

Justice Rilwani Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna has adjourned the bail application of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

El-Rufai, along with Joel Adoga, was arraigned on March 24 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). They face charges related to alleged fraud and money laundering, which have drawn significant public and media attention.

The defendants pleaded not guilty. Subsequently, the court adjourned the bail hearing to March 31.

During resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Ukong Akpan, the counsel to el-Rufai, told the court of his intention to withdraw the application seeking the judge to recuse himself from the case.

The court accepted the request. The prosecutor told the court that he just filed his counter affidavit on the bail application.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the case to Wednesday to hear the bail application.

Earlier, el-Rufai appeared before the Kaduna high court for arraignment over a separate criminal charge.

The arraignment could not take place because the second defendant in the case was not in court. The court adjourned the case to April 10.

On March 27, the ICPC released el-Rufai on compassionate grounds following the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma.

El-Rufai’s mother died in Egypt on March 27 where she was receiving medical treatment. Her burial rites took place on March 28.

The funeral prayer was attended by dignitaries, including Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president; Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Group; Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Rotimi Amaechi; former minister of transportation; and Isa Pantami, former minister of communications and digital economy.