Alleged Graft: El-Rufai Returns To Kaduna Court For Bail Hearing After Late Mother’s 3-day Fidda’u

Immediate-past Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday, arrived the State High Court, Kaduna, for the hearing of his bail application before Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, over alleged corruption charges preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Recall that El-Rufai was arraigned before Justice RAikawa, on March 24, 2026, and was remanded in ICPC custody as the court adjourned to Tuesday, March 31, for hearing of his bail application.

The embattled former governor, who lost his mother, Hajiya Ummah El-Rufai, last Friday, was consequently granted an administrative bail by the ICPC on compassionate ground in order to allow him to bury his mother, who died in Cairo, Egypt.

LEADERSHIP reports that El-Rufai’s mother was buried on Sunday in Abuja while the three-day fidda’u prayer was held on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, El-Rufai, who arrived at the court premises in a white Toyota Hilux vehicle about 9:00 a.m, was escorted into the courtroom by minimal security operatives.

The security operatives were also deployed on the busy Ungwan Sarki-Kawo Expressway and around the court vicinity, to avert possible breakdown of law and order.

Recall that the lead counsel representing the former Kaduna State governor, Ubong Akpan, had told journalists after the court proceedings on March 24 that his client’s bail application had been filed and it was adjourned to March 31 for hearing.

According to Akpan, “The charges against Malam Nasir El-Rufai amount basically to allegations of deposit of money into his domiciliary account and monetisation of his earnings. They finally joined Joel Adoga on the 10th count. Out of 10 counts, they joined him on only one.”

Akpan added, “What we have now is that they applied to arraign, and I respectfully pointed out that since Malam El Rufai has a proceeding pending, with respect to the judge himself, the judge cannot proceed. The judge, in his wisdom, decided to proceed with the arraignment. And, in his own wisdom, also adjourned the matter for applications that may be pending to be heard on the 31st of March. Bail application was filed today and it was adjourned to March 31 for hearing.”