- The ICPC filed an amended nine-count charge against former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, removing one co-defendant and leaving him as the sole defendant
- At the Kaduna State High Court, El-Rufai’s plea was taken and arguments on his bail application were heard, after which the judge adjourned the matter to April 14 for ruling
- Prosecutors alleged he had approved an N11 billion benefit for an unexecuted light rail project, received excessive severance payments, mishandled a World Bank loan, and breached procurement and land allocation laws during his tenure
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed an amended nine-count charge against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations of fraud, abuse of office, and corruption.
The development was disclosed by El-Rufai’s counsel, Ukpong Abang, shortly after proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court on Monday. According to him, the amended charge removed one of the earlier co-defendants, leaving the former governor as the sole defendant in the case.
Abang explained that the revised charges were served on the defence team in court on Monday morning, which made it difficult for the matter to proceed to full hearing. He noted that the defence would require time to review the fresh allegations before responding appropriately.
“The charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court. That is why the matter could not proceed to a hearing,” he said.
At the resumed sitting, the court took El-Rufai’s plea and also heard arguments on his bail application. The presiding judge, Darius Khobo, subsequently adjourned the case to April 14 for a ruling on the bail request.
According to court documents, the charges—marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/2026—allege that El-Rufai committed multiple offences during his tenure as governor. One of the counts accuses him of inducing the Kaduna State Government in 2016 to confer a benefit of N11 billion on a firm, Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited, for a light rail project that was allegedly not executed.
Other counts allege that he approved and received severance benefits amounting to about N289.8 million, exceeding the legally approved N20 million. The ICPC also accused him of improperly handling over $1 million linked to a World Bank loan to the state, allegedly in violation of the loan agreement.
Additional allegations include attempts to influence federal investigators, breaches of procurement laws in the award of a multi-billion-naira CCTV contract, and unlawful land allocations said to have conferred undue advantage on associates.
The anti-graft agency had earlier arraigned El-Rufai alongside a businessman, Amadu Sule, on similar allegations before the charges were amended.
El-Rufai had been in ICPC custody from February 19 until March 28, when he was granted temporary release on compassionate grounds to attend his mother’s burial.
The case is expected to resume with a ruling on his bail application, as legal proceedings continue.
DSS takes El-Rufai into custody after court hearing in Kaduna
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday took former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, into custody shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
El-Rufai, who is currently standing trial over alleged corruption charges brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), had just concluded a hearing on his bail application when DSS operatives escorted him into a waiting vehicle and drove off, reportedly towards Abuja.