Kaduna, 6 October 2026
The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday reserved judgement in an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El Rufai, challenging the refusal of his bail application by the Kaduna State High Court.
A three member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi reserved judgement after hearing arguments from counsel to El Rufai and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The court did not fix a date for delivery of the judgement.
Lead counsel to the ICPC, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal. He argued that the Kaduna State High Court was right to refuse bail. Adedipe said the former governor had filed three separate bail applications before the trial court, all of which were refused.
He explained that the first application was dismissed, while the second was rejected after El Rufai failed to show exceptional circumstances that would justify a fresh request for bail. A third application was also dismissed. Adedipe told the court that El Rufai appealed only the ruling on the second application and did not disclose that the third application had equally been refused. He described the appeal as unmeritorious and asked the court to dismiss it.
Counsel to El Rufai, Paul Erokoro, SAN, urged the Court of Appeal to set aside the decision of the lower court and grant his client bail pending determination of the charges against him.
Erokoro argued that the offences are bailable and are not capital offences. He submitted that bail is a constitutional right except in capital cases, and that there was no justification for keeping the former governor in custody. He said continued detention in ICPC custody was hindering preparation of the defence, including access to counsel and witnesses and confidential communication with the legal team.
Erokoro also described El Rufai as a prominent opposition figure and said the timing of the criminal charges, coming close to an election, was noteworthy. He expressed hope that the Court of Appeal would take a different view from the High Court and grant bail.
El Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, is being prosecuted by the ICPC over alleged financial offences arising from his administration. He has denied wrongdoing. Until the Court of Appeal delivers its judgement, he remains subject to the existing detention order.
By John James
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