El-Rufai appears in two Kaduna courts over ICPC charges

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday appeared before two separate courts in Kaduna to face allegations of financial misconduct, abuse of office and money laundering brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

At the Federal High Court in Kaduna, presided over by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, El-Rufai was arraigned alongside his former Special Adviser, Jimi Lawal, and five companies on an amended 11-count charge.

El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to the charge against him, while Lawal also entered not guilty pleas to the counts filed against him.

One of the companies, Singularity Network Security Limited, was similarly arraigned on multiple counts contained in the amended charge.

Defence lawyers informed the court that bail applications had been filed for El-Rufai and Lawal, urging the court to grant their requests.

After listening to submissions from both parties, Justice Buhari adjourned ruling on the bail applications until July 1, 2026.

Shortly after the federal court proceedings, El-Rufai appeared before the Kaduna State High Court for a separate case also instituted by the ICPC.

The matter before the state court involves allegations of abuse of office and money laundering.

Following brief proceedings, the court adjourned the case until June 29, 2026, for continuation of hearing.