Court grants El-Rufai bail

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ending a detention that had stretched nearly two months since his arrest by the ICPC.

Justice Rilwan Aikawa delivered the ruling on Tuesday — the date to which the bail application had been adjourned after arguments from both sides. El-Rufai’s counsel had argued that bail was a constitutional right and that his client posed no flight risk.

The prosecution opposed the application, citing fears he could influence witnesses or obstruct investigations.

The ICPC formally arraigned El-Rufai on a 10-count charge on March 18, 2026, bordering on alleged conversion of public property, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Among the counts, the commission accused him of inducing the Kaduna State Government to confer a N11bn benefit on a company for a light rail project allegedly not executed, approving severance benefits of N289.8m against a legally approved N20m limit, and dishonestly disposing of over $1m from a World Bank loan to Kaduna State.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

El-Rufai was first arrested by the EFCC on February 16, granted bail, and subsequently re-arrested by the ICPC.

He was briefly released on compassionate grounds on March 27 following the death of his mother in Cairo before being returned to custody.

He faces additional charges at the Kaduna State High Court in a separate ICPC case.

El-Rufai has denied all allegations, describing the prosecution as a witch-hunt.