The legal troubles facing former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai took another turn yesterday, as a Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna adjourned ruling on his bail application till today, while another Federal High Court fixed June 17 to hear his N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
El-Rufai, who is currently facing a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering, was brought to court in Kaduna under heavy security for the continuation of his trial. The security presence around the court mirrored the tight arrangements seen during his earlier arraignment, reflecting the high-profile nature of the case.
Following the proceedings, his counsel, Ukpong Abang, confirmed that the court would now rule on the bail application today. He declined to speak in detail, saying only that he still had legal responses to file.
After the session, El-Rufai was escorted out of the court premises by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in a white Hilux vehicle. He has reportedly spent over a month in detention, although the anti-graft agency had earlier granted him temporary release on compassionate grounds after the death of his mother, Hajiya Ummar El-Rufai, in Cairo.
In a related development, the former governor was also arraigned before a Kaduna State High Court alongside Amadu Sule on separate allegations involving abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, and conferring undue advantage. Those charges, also filed by the ICPC, are different from the ones before the Federal High Court.
After proceedings at the state court, the ICPC moved El-Rufai to the Federal High Court within the same judicial premises for continuation of the separate trial. The court had originally fixed March 31, 2026, for hearing of pending applications, including the bail request, before the latest adjournment shifted the ruling to today.
Meanwhile, in Abuja, the former governor is pursuing a N1 billion rights enforcement case over what he described as an unlawful raid on his residence by operatives of the ICPC and officers of the Nigeria Police Force. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed June 17 for hearing in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026.
At the centre of the suit is a search warrant dated February 4, which El-Rufai is challenging as unlawful. According to his argument, the warrant, allegedly used to search his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, failed to meet constitutional requirements and should therefore be declared null and void. He contends that it lacked probable cause, precision, and legal clarity, making the search unconstitutional and a violation of his right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
He further argued that the execution of the warrant on February 19 amounted to a gross violation of his rights to dignity, liberty, and fair hearing under Sections 34, 35, and 36 of the Constitution. Based on that, he is asking the court to declare the search and seizure unlawful and to rule that any evidence obtained from the operation should not be admissible in any proceedings against him.
El-Rufai is also asking the court to restrain the ICPC, the Nigeria Police Force, and other respondents from relying on or tendering any materials recovered during the operation in any investigation or prosecution involving him. In addition, he wants all items seized from his residence returned, along with a complete inventory of everything taken.
At Tuesday’s proceedings in Abuja, his lawyer, Ugochukwu Nnakwu, applied to withdraw the Chief Magistrate earlier listed as the second defendant in the matter after the court observed that the magistrate had not been properly identified in the suit. The request was not opposed by lawyers representing the ICPC, the police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the court subsequently struck out the magistrate’s name.
However, counsel to the ICPC, Abdul Mohammed, argued that once the magistrate was removed, the suit had become incompetent since many of the reliefs sought were tied to the validity of the warrant issued by that court. Justice Abdulmalik disagreed and held that El-Rufai still had the right to amend his processes and continue with the case, while directing the ICPC to file its response.
With the bail ruling now expected today in Kaduna and the rights suit set for hearing in June, the legal battle involving the former governor is clearly entering a more intense phase, one that could shape both his immediate freedom and the broader corruption allegations hanging over him.