- The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, May 18, 2026, granted bail to the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, following his arraignment over pending legal matters.
- Presiding Judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, set the bail bond at a substantial sum of ₦100 million, attaching highly stringent conditions regarding the residency and professional status of his surety.
- The court mandated that the designated surety must be a senior federal civil servant holding a rank not lower than Grade Level 17, and must possess landed property within premium areas of the Federal Capital Territory.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to bail in the sum of ₦100 million with one surety in like amount.
Eko Hot Blog reports that delivering the highly anticipated ruling during Monday morning’s plenary session, the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, outlined strict terms that must be satisfied before the former administration chief can be released from custody.
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Legal observers note that the strict conditions reflect the high-profile nature of the state’s ongoing judicial proceedings involving the prominent politician.
According to the specific conditionalities read out by Justice Abdulmalik, the individual standing as El-Rufai’s surety must maintain a verifiable permanent residence within either the elite Maitama or Asokoro districts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Furthermore, the surety is legally required to deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of a landed property situated within these jurisdictions at the court registry for formal verification.
To further secure compliance, the court directed that the surety must be a top-tier federal civil servant who has attained at least Grade Level 17 in the civil service hierarchy.
As part of the administrative checklist to prevent document falsification, the defense team must provide concrete evidence of the surety’s salary payments spanning a consecutive period of at least three months.
These financial statements must be accompanied by an official letter of authentication issued by the branch manager of the surety’s commercial bank, which must be operating within the immediate jurisdiction of the court.
The case has been adjourned to allow the defense counsel time to process and fulfill the extensive paperwork required to satisfy the registry.
