A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna adjourned on Thursday to June 1, 2026, to hear two pre-trial motions filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, in the corruption case instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

El-Rufai faces allegations of financial misconduct, including the alleged release of billions of naira in state funds for projects said to have been unexecuted. The former governor, however, denied the allegations.

The court adjourned on Wednesday to Thursday to rule on motions seeking to vary some of the bail conditions previously granted to the former governor.

Justice Rilwanu Aikawa admitted El-Rufai to bail on April 14 in the sum of N200 million, with two sureties in like sum.

The court also ordered that the former governor remain in ICPC custody pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

One of the sureties, according to the court, must be a senior civil servant not below Grade Level 15, while the second must be a recognised elder in the state.

The court further directed the sureties to deposit their international passports and restrained the former governor from making public comments on the case.

Ruling on the application for variation of the bail conditions on Thursday, Justice Aikawa declined the defendant’s request to permit the first surety to provide a bank guarantee of N200 million instead of a cash deposit.

The court, however, granted the prayer seeking a variation allowing the second surety to be recognised by a District Head, instead of the Kaduna State Council of Elders as earlier ordered.

Counsel to the former governor, Mustapha Abubakar (SAN), also drew the court’s attention to two motions previously filed by the defence, seeking to strike out certain documents attached to the charges preferred by the ICPC.

The court subsequently adjourned until 1 pm on June 1, 2026, to hear the motions, after defence counsel indicated that he was not ready to move the applications immediately. (The Nation)

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