A charged mix of drama, security clampdown, and legal maneuvering unfolded on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, where proceedings involving former governor Nasir El-Rufai took an unexpected emotional turn outside the courtroom doors.
Journalists were denied entry into the open court. So also were Nasir el Rufai’s well-wishers. Even one of the chiefest – his wife!
In response to been initially barred, Hadiza Isma el-Rufai, waxed philosophical, using a popular Christian pentecostal refrain that has become an everyday Nigerian expression for those facing persecution: “This Too shall pass,” she said, while proceeding to work her phone.
Footage circulating online, reportedly aired by TVC News, shows aides and sympathizers gesturing through the court’s barred perimeter, suggesting alternative access routes. It remains unclear whether she eventually gained entry.
Security presence around the court complex was notably intense, with armed personnel stationed across key points in Kaduna. Access control appeared stringent, limiting entry strictly to essential court officials and legal representatives – a move that underscored the sensitivity of the case.
The former governor was brought before the court in Kaduna by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of money laundering, excessive severance payouts, and questionable foreign currency deposits.
El-Rufai, who was arraigned alongside co-defendant Joel Adoga, pleaded not guilty to a 10-count charge involving alleged unlawful financial gains totaling ₦579.7 million and $817,900, said to have been traced to his Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account.
According to the charge sheet, the ICPC accused him of fraudulently receiving ₦289.8 million on two occasions—first in September 2020 and again in January 2023 – as severance benefits for each of his two terms as governor. Investigators argue that he was entitled to only about ₦20 million per term, placing his legitimate total benefits at roughly ₦40 million, far below the amount allegedly collected.
The commission further claimed that the payments – reportedly nearly 300 percent of his annual basic salary – should have raised concerns and could reasonably be identified as proceeds of unlawful activity.
In addition to the severance payments, the ICPC alleged that el-Rufai received $817,900 through multiple cash deposits between 2016 and March 2023 while in office. The deposits, made in amounts ranging from $4,000 to $320,800, were reportedly linked to several individuals, some of whom remain at large.
One of the charges states that el-Rufai took control of $320,800 deposited over time by his co-defendant, Adoga. Other counts outline separate deposits of $155,800, $305,300, and several smaller sums traced to different individuals. The commission maintains that the funds are suspected proceeds of corruption which the former governor “ought reasonably to have known” were illicit.
Inside the court, legal arguments took center stage.
Counsel to el-Rufai, Ukpon Akpan, pressed the court to grant bail, arguing that his client’s constitutional rights must be upheld and that adequate time was needed to prepare a robust defense.
But prosecutors pushed back firmly. Representing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, they cited the seriousness of the charges and warned that releasing the former governor could jeopardize ongoing investigations.
The court adjourned the matter to March 31, 2026, when it will rule on the bail application.
In a parallel legal development, the anti-corruption agency has also filed a separate case against El-Rufai and one Amadu Sule at the Kaduna State High Court. That case involves allegations ranging from fraud to conferring undue advantage, signaling a widening legal front for the former governor.
The ICPC, through its spokesperson John Okor Odey, confirmed that both cases were initiated on March 18 as part of intensified anti-corruption efforts.
