Court Adjourns El-Rufai’s Corruption Trial Till June 24

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna State has adjourned proceedings in the trial of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, till June 24, 2026.

Naija News understands that the case was instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of abuse of office, fraud and financial misconduct during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor.

El-Rufai, through his lawyers, has consistently denied the allegations and maintained his innocence.

At the resumed trial on Monday, the former governor was brought to court around 9:30 am. He was accompanied by ICPC officials, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and police officers.

Previous proceedings had focused on El-Rufai’s bail application and related legal arguments.

Prosecutors alleged that funds were improperly released for projects that were either not executed or were irregularly managed.

El-Rufai has denied all the charges against him. At Monday’s sitting, the court was expected to continue hearing motions and arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

On April 14, 2026, the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, granted the former governor bail in the sum of N200m.

The bail conditions included two sureties, one of whom must be a serving or retired civil servant at Grade Level 15, and the other a recognised traditional ruler.

El-Rufai’s lawyers later applied to the Federal High Court for a variation of the bail conditions.

However, a Kaduna State High Court presided over by Justice Darius Khobo denied him bail, citing concerns that his influence could interfere with investigations into the corruption allegations filed by the ICPC.

The former governor appeared in court for the continuation of his trial.

The court, however, adjourned the matter due to the absence of two defendants charged alongside him.