• Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai granted N100 million bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja
• The bail was tied to strict conditions, including a high-ranking federal civil servant as surety
• The court ordered El-Rufai to surrender all international passports and must report monthly to DSS headquarters pending trial

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been granted bail in the sum of N100 million by a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations linked to the unlawful interception of communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the ruling on Monday, May 18, during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a case instituted by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS).

The charges against El-Rufai followed comments he made during a February 2026 interview on Arise News, where he claimed he became aware of an alleged plan to arrest him after listening to a phone conversation reportedly intercepted from the National Security Adviser.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered El-Rufai to provide one surety in like sum.

The surety must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro in Abuja and deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property with the court registry.

Justice Abdulmalik also ruled that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and present proof of salary payments covering at least three months, alongside a verification letter issued by a bank manager within the court’s jurisdiction.

The court further directed the surety to submit an affidavit of means, execute a bail bond, and provide a recent passport photograph.

In addition, El-Rufai was ordered to surrender all valid international passports to the court.

The judge also instructed him to submit a verification letter from the surety’s department and provide a tax clearance certificate covering the previous six months.

Pending the conclusion of the trial, the former governor must report to the DSS headquarters every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register.

Justice Abdulmalik warned that failure to comply with any of the bail terms would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.

The court also requested a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna State Traditional Council and ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter.

According to the DSS, El-Rufai’s statements during the televised interview formed the basis of a three-count charge against him.

In one of the counts, prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai admitted during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13, 2026, that he and his associates unlawfully intercepted the communications of the National Security Adviser.

Another count accused the former governor of claiming he knew individuals responsible for the alleged interception but failed to report them to the appropriate security authorities, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Nigerian Communications Act.

The prosecution also alleged that El-Rufai and other individuals said to be at large used technical systems capable of undermining public safety and national security through the unlawful interception of the NSA’s communications.

The DSS stated that the alleged offences are punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

Beyond the phone interception allegations, El-Rufai is also facing separate legal challenges involving alleged financial crimes.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has filed charges accusing the former governor of laundering N579 million and $320,800.

According to court documents, prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai received N289.8 million on two occasions in September 2020 and January 2023 as severance allowances, bringing the total amount to about N579 million, far above the approved entitlement estimated at roughly N20 million.

The anti-graft agency also alleged that several foreign currency inflows traced to El-Rufai’s Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account raised suspicions of illicit transfers and concealment of funds.

El-Rufai freed after weeks in ICPC custody amid mounting legal battles

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had been released from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after weeks of detention.

Further details indicated that the former governor was granted temporary bail on compassionate grounds, following the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who reportedly passed away earlier on Friday in Cairo, Egypt.