LEAD counsel to former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Mr Ukpong Akpan, has expressed frustration with the repeated adjournments in the money laundering suit against his, particularly the lingering postponement of the bail hearing by the presiding judge, describing it as “unnecessary” and “politically motivated”.
The defence had earlier faulted the late service of the amended charges, telling journalists that “the charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court”.
Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court adjourned the bail hearing to the first week of June 2026, prolonging the legal uncertainty surrounding the detained former governor’s bid for pre-trial freedom.
The presiding judge announced the postponement on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, after initially reserving ruling on the application for the same date.
The adjournment means the former governor, who has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, will remain detained for six more weeks more weeks before the court decides whether to grant him bail.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, was arraigned before the Kaduna State High Court on April 13, 2026, on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud, abuse of office, and corruption.
The ICPC, in the charge marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/2026, accused the former governor of multiple financial infractions during his tenure.
Among the allegations contained in the amended charges, the ICPC is alleging that el-Rufai induced the Kaduna State Government in 2016 to confer a benefit of N11 billion on Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited for a light rail project that was allegedly never executed.
The commission is also accusing him of approving and receiving approximately N289.8 million in severance benefits, far exceeding the legally approved N20 million.
In another count, the prosecution alleged that el-Rufai dishonestly disposed of over $1 million, said to be part of a World Bank loan to Kaduna State, in violation of the loan agreement.
The former governor is further accused of conspiring with others still at large to offer inducement to federal investigators in a bid to compromise an ongoing probe.
Other charges include alleged violations of procurement laws in the award of a multi-billion-naira CCTV contract, conferring undue advantage on associates, and unlawful land allocations.
The ICPC reportedly dropped a co-defendant, Amadu Sule, from the amended charge, leaving el-Rufai as the sole defendant.
The former governor’s legal troubles extend beyond the state high court proceedings. In a separate corruption case instituted against him by the ICPC at a Federal High Court in Kaduna, Justice Rilwanu Aikawa admitted el-Rufai to bail in the sum of N200 million.
However, the judge ordered that el-Rufai remain in ICPC custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.
According to reports, the court imposed approximately ten bail conditions, including the provision of a surety with landed property and a traditional title, as well as a bar on making public comments on the case. The former governor must also attend all court sittings.
The former governor reportedly arrived at the court around 9 a.m. in a convoy, accompanied by officials of the ICPC and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
During the proceedings, el-Rufai’s supporters assembled outside the courtroom, while security agencies maintained order and restricted movement around the court’s vicinity.
The latest postponement comes after Judge Khobo had on April 14 adjourned the verdict on the bail application to April 21, only to push it further to June.
El-Rufai has maintained his innocence and denied all the allegations against him.
