El-Rufai in Kaduna court after mother’s burial

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday arraigned former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai before a Kaduna State High Court over alleged corruption-related offences.

El-Rufai is facing charges including abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, and conferring undue advantage, stemming from alleged financial misconduct during his tenure between 2015 and 2023.

The development comes three days after the former governor buried his late mother, who died in Egypt.

The anti-graft agency had earlier arrested El-Rufai on February 18, 2026, and kept him in custody for 34 days before arraigning him on March 24, 2026, at the Federal High Court alongside a co-defendant, Joel Adoga.

During the earlier court proceedings, his counsel, led by Ubong Akpan, informed the court about a pending petition against the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, before the National Judicial Council.

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Justice Aikawa ruled that he would proceed with the arraignment and consider the application for recusal after a formal motion. The court later adjourned the matter to March 31, 2026, for hearing of bail applications and other motions.

The case generated public attention following the ICPC’s controversial decision to grant El-Rufai temporary release on compassionate grounds to attend his mother’s burial, despite an existing remand order.

On Tuesday, the former governor was again arraigned before a Kaduna State High Court alongside Amadu Sule over similar allegations.

The commission is expected to subsequently move the case to the Federal High Court in Kaduna, where El-Rufai’s bail application is scheduled to be heard.

The Star