The Federal High Court in Kaduna on Tuesday ordered the remand of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following his arraignment on corruption charges. Trial judge Ridwan Aikawa directed that Mr El-Rufai and his co-defendant, Joel Adoga, remain in ICPC custody pending the hearing of their bail applications.
The anti-graft agency arraigned both men on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering. While Mr El-Rufai was named in all counts, Mr Adoga appeared in only one. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, the court ordered that they be held in custody until 31 March, when arguments on their bail applications are scheduled to be heard.
Before entering his plea, Mr El-Rufai challenged the impartiality of the judge and requested that he recuse himself, citing a petition he had filed against him. However, the prosecution argued that the defendant must first take his plea before raising such objections.
The court agreed with the prosecution’s position, after which both defendants formally entered their not-guilty pleas, allowing proceedings to continue.
The arraignment was conducted under heavy security presence, with operatives of the State Security Service, police, and civil defence restricting journalists’ access to the courtroom. Reports indicated that details of the proceedings were obtained from lawyers present in court.
According to the charges filed on 18 March, the ICPC accused Mr El-Rufai of fraudulently receiving inflated severance payments totalling about N579.7 million, instead of the approximately N40 million he was allegedly entitled to for two terms in office. The commission stated that each payment “represents 300% of your annual basic salary which you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: corruption.”
In addition, the agency alleged that the former governor received $817,900 in suspected proceeds of corruption through multiple deposits into his domiciliary account while in office. The funds were reportedly paid in tranches ranging from $4,000 to $320,800 between 2016 and March 2023.
The ICPC said its investigation followed a petition alleging financial misconduct during Mr El-Rufai’s tenure from 2015 to 2023, including issues related to loans, procurement, and transfers. The former governor, who has denied all allegations and described the probe as politically motivated, is also facing a separate prosecution by the State Security Service, with a hearing in that case scheduled for 23 April.