El-Rufai’s Bail Battle Drags On as Court Shifts Hearing to June

The Kaduna State High Court has adjourned the bail hearing of former governor Nasir El-Rufai to the first week of June 2026, extending the uncertainty over his quest for pre-trial release.

Trial judge Darius Khobo announced the postponement on Tuesday as the former governor was brought to court by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services.

Reacting to the development, El-Rufai’s counsel, Ukpon Akpan, criticised the repeated adjournments, alleging that the delays were politically motivated and amounted to a denial of his client’s right to a timely hearing.

The latest shift follows an earlier adjournment on April 14, when the court fixed April 21 for a ruling on the bail application, only to defer the matter again to June.

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

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

Despite this, he has remained in ICPC custody since February 19, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was briefly granted compassionate release on March 27 to attend the burial of his mother, who died the same day, before being returned to custody.

Elijah Adeyemi