A Federal High Court in Kaduna has granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the corruption case instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Justice Rilwanu Aikawa delivered the ruling on Tuesday after adjourning the matter from April 1 to April 14, 2026, to consider arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
The court admitted the former governor to bail in the sum of N200 million.
However, it ordered that El-Rufai remain in ICPC custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.
As part of the conditions, the defendant is barred from making public comments on the case and must attend all court sittings.
Counsel to the former governor, Ubong Akpan, declined to comment when approached by journalists after the proceedings.
Speaking with journalists, Hayatudeen Lawal Makarfi, an associate of El-Rufai, disclosed that the court imposed about 10 bail conditions.
He reiterated that the former governor would remain in ICPC custody until all conditions are met, including the provision of a surety with landed property and a traditional title.
El-Rufai’s son, Bello El-Rufai, also confirmed that his father had been granted bail.
Earlier on Tuesday, the former governor appeared before the Kaduna High Court for a hearing of a bail application in another criminal case.
However, the presiding judge, Darius Khobo, adjourned ruling on the application to April 21, 2026.
On Monday, the ICPC arraigned El-Rufai on an amended nine-count charge related to alleged fraud and abuse of office.
The anti-graft agency dropped Amadu Sule, the co-defendant, from the amended charge.
In the amended charges, the ICPC accused El-Rufai of multiple infractions allegedly committed during his tenure in office.
The nine-count charge includes allegations that El-Rufai induced the Kaduna State Government to release about N11 billion to an unregistered entity for a light rail project that was never executed.
The commission also alleged that the former governor approved and received approximately N289.8 million as severance allowance—far above the legally entitled sum of about N20 million—thereby conferring a corrupt advantage on himself.
In another count, El-Rufai is accused of mismanaging over $1.08 million, part of a World Bank loan to the state, in violation of the loan agreement.
The ICPC further alleged that he conspired with an associate, said to be at large, to offer monetary inducements to federal investigators in a bid to compromise an ongoing probe involving a private firm.
Other charges include the alleged unlawful award of a N4.6 billion CCTV contract in the Kaduna metropolis in breach of procurement laws, as well as conferring undue advantage on an associate through the same contract.
The commission also accused the former governor of abuse of office in land-related matters, including the revocation and reallocation of a parcel of land along the Kaduna–Zaria bypass to benefit an associate and related companies.
He was further accused of criminal breach of trust in respect of the same property.
El-Rufai has, however, denied all the allegations against him.
The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 19, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was, however, temporarily released on March 27 on compassionate grounds to attend his mother’s burial.
