Judgment on el-Rufai's bail application to be delivered today

A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has had his bail application adjourned until today by the Federal High Court in Kaduna, while a separate court in Abuja has fixed June 17 to hear his N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

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El-Rufai, who is facing a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering, was brought to the Kaduna court under tight security for the continuation of his trial, with the heavy security presence reflecting the high-profile nature of the case.

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Counsel to the former governor, Mr Ukpong Abang, SAN, confirmed that the hearing of the bail application had been adjourned till today, stating briefly that he had to attend to work and file responses.

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After the proceedings, El-Rufai, who had spent over a month in detention, was escorted out of the court premises by operatives of the ICPC in a white Hilux vehicle, following a temporary release on compassionate grounds after the death of his mother, Hajiya Ummar El-Rufai, in Cairo, Egypt.

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Meanwhile, El-Rufai was also arraigned before a Kaduna State High Court alongside one Amadu Sule on separate charges bordering on alleged abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud and conferring undue advantage, which are distinct from those before the Federal High Court.

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The ICPC had instituted the charges, and after the proceedings at the State High Court, El-Rufai was moved to the Federal High Court within the same premises for the continuation of his trial, which had earlier been fixed for March 31, 2026, before the latest adjournment.

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In Abuja, the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, fixed June 17 to hear El-Rufai's N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the ICPC and others over an alleged unlawful raid on his residence.

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The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, challenges the legality of a search warrant dated February 4, which was used to authorise a search of El-Rufai's residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, with the former governor contending that the warrant was invalid, null and void.

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El-Rufai argued that the warrant lacked particularity, 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.

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He further maintained that the execution of the warrant on February 19 by operatives of the ICPC and officers of the Nigeria Police Force amounted to a gross violation of his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty and fair hearing, as enshrined in Sections 34, 35 and 36 of the Constitution.

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Among the reliefs sought, El-Rufai is asking the court to declare that the search and seizure carried out in his residence were unlawful and unconstitutional, and that any evidence obtained from the operation is inadmissible in any proceedings against him.

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He is also seeking an injunction restraining the ICPC, the Inspector-General of Police and other respondents from relying on, using or tendering any material obtained during the search in any investigation or prosecution involving him.

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At the Abuja proceedings, El-Rufai, through his counsel, Mr Ugochukwu Nnakwu, applied to withdraw the Chief Magistrate earlier listed as the second defendant in the suit, following the court's observation that the particular magistrate was not properly identified.

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The application was not opposed by counsel to the respondents, including the ICPC, the police and the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Justice Abdulmalik subsequently struck out the magistrate's name from the suit.

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Counsel to the ICPC, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, argued that the removal of the magistrate had rendered the suit incompetent, since most of the reliefs were predicated on the validity of the warrant issued by the magistrate, but the court dismissed the objection and directed the ICPC to file its response.