The Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned the ruling on former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s bail application to today, despite the fact that a separate Federal High Court in Abuja has set June 17 to hear his N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
El-Rufai, who is facing a 10-count allegation of suspected conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering, was taken to court under tight security to continue his trial.
The high security presence on the court grounds mirrored the circumstances during his previous arraignment before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, indicating the case’s high notoriety.
Following the proceedings, the lawyer for the former governor, Mr. Ukpong Abang, SAN, stated that the hearing on the bail application had been postponed to today.
“I’m sorry, I can’t talk now; we are in the middle of work. I have to go and file responses. The hearing of the bail application has been adjourned till tomorrow,” he said briefly.
El-Rufai, who had been detained for more than a month, was led out of the courtroom by ICPC agents in a white Hilux.
The anti-graft agency had previously given him temporary freedom on compassionate grounds following the death of his mother, Hajiya Ummar El-Rufai, in Cairo, Egypt.
Meanwhile, in a similar incident, the former governor was hauled before a Kaduna State High Court alongside Amadu Sule on separate charges of alleged abuse of power, fraud, intent to conduct fraud, and imparting an unfair benefit.
The ICPC’s accusations are distinct from those brought before the Federal High Court.
Following the proceedings at the State High Court, the ICPC transferred El-Rufai to the Federal High Court on the same premises for the continuation of his trial.
Prior to the most recent adjournment, the court scheduled a hearing on pending applications, including his bail request, for March 31, 2026.
However, in Abuja, the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, has scheduled a hearing on June 17 for a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by El-Rufai against the ICPC and others over an alleged unlawful raid on his residence.
The former governor is disputing the constitutionality of a February 4 search warrant that was used to allow a search of his property at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja.
He claims that the warrant, issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory, was invalid, null, and void, having allegedly failed to meet constitutional requirements.
The former minister of the FCT argued that the warrant lacked particularity and probable cause and was riddled with material drafting errors, ambiguity, and overbreadth, thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search in violation of his right to privacy guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
He also claimed that the execution of the warrant on February 19 by ICPC operatives and Nigeria Police Force officers violated his fundamental rights to human dignity, personal liberty, and a fair hearing, as guaranteed by Sections 34, 35, and 36 of the constitution.
El-Rufai is asking the court to declare that the search and seizure of his home were unlawful and unconstitutional.
He also seeks an order declaring that any evidence gathered during the operation is inadmissible in any proceedings against him because it was obtained in violation of constitutional safeguards.
The former governor also sought an injunction prohibiting the ICPC, the Inspector-General of Police, and other respondents from relying on, utilizing, or submitting any material seized during the search in any investigation or prosecution involving him.
He also sought the court to order the ICPC and the police to return all things seized from his home, as well as a detailed inventory of the retrieved goods.
During Tuesday’s hearings in Abuja, El-Rufai, through his counsel, Mr. Ugochukwu Nnakwu, requested to withdraw the chief magistrate, who had previously been named as the second defendant in the complaint, after the court found that the magistrate had not been properly identified.
The application was not challenged by counsel for the respondents, which included the ICPC, the police, and the attorney general of the Federation.
Justice Abdulmalik then struck the magistrate’s name from the action.
However, counsel for the ICPC, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, claimed that the magistrate’s removal rendered the suit ineffective, as the majority of the reliefs were based on the legitimacy of the magistrate’s warrant.
The court dismissed the objection, ruling that the applicant was free to change his proceedings and prosecute his case and instructing the ICPC to file its answer.
