Court Fixes July 1 For Ruling On El-Rufai’s Bail Application

Court Fixes July 1 For Ruling On El-Rufai’s Bail Application
Former governor pleaded not guilty to charges against him.
Courts adjourned proceedings for bail ruling and further hearing.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and his co-defendant, Jimi Lawal, on Wednesday appeared before separate courts in Kaduna over corruption related charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

El-Rufai is facing allegations bordering on abuse of office, financial impropriety and money laundering.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, presided over by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, El-Rufai, Lawal, who served as a special adviser during his administration, and several companies were arraigned on an amended 11 count charge.

During the proceedings, El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to Count One of the charge, while Lawal pleaded not guilty to Counts Six, Seven and Eight.

A company, Singularity Network Security Limited, was also arraigned on Counts Two, Three, Four, Five, Nine, Ten and Eleven.

Counsel to El-Rufai and the second defendant informed the court that applications seeking bail for their clients had already been filed and were pending before the court.

After listening to submissions from both the prosecution and defence teams, Justice Buhari adjourned the matter until July 1, 2026, for a ruling on the bail applications.

In a separate but related matter, El-Rufai also appeared before the Kaduna State High Court over another ICPC case involving allegations of abuse of office and money laundering during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.

The case was heard before Justice Darius Khobo, who subsequently adjourned proceedings until June 29, 2026, for further hearing.

The former governor has denied all allegations levelled against him, maintaining that all actions taken during his administration were lawful and carried out in the public interest.

Court Fixes July 1 For Ruling On El-Rufai’s Bail Application

The cases form part of ongoing legal proceedings initiated by the ICPC over the management of public resources during El-Rufai’s administration in Kaduna State.