A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a bail application brought on behalf of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, with the presiding judge declaring the request premature and ordering that arraignment proceed first.
Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik ruled on Wednesday that the bail motion could not be entertained until the defendant had been formally arraigned before the court. She fixed April 23, 2026 as the new date for that proceeding.
The hearing was further complicated by the failure of the State Security Service to produce El-Rufai in court, as he remains in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. His legal team had urged the court to grant him temporary freedom pending the next date, but prosecution counsel countered that bail was inappropriate given that no arraignment had yet taken place. The judge sided with the prosecution, declining to allow the application to proceed.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Bolaji Abdullahi was among those who attended the session in a show of support for the ex-governor.
El-Rufai is facing a three-count criminal charge brought by the Federal Government, arising from statements he made during a February 13 appearance on Arise TV in which he claimed he and unnamed associates had intercepted communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. Prosecutors allege the conduct violated Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act of 2024, as well as provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003, on the grounds that technical systems were allegedly deployed in a manner that compromised public safety and national security.
The charges stem from El-Rufai’s on-air claim that he learned of plans to arrest him through tapped communications from Ribadu’s phone, and his allegation that the NSA had ordered his detention on arrival in Nigeria — which he described as an attempted abduction.
In a parallel move, El-Rufai is challenging the validity of the charges entirely. Through a motion dated February 17, 2026, he is asking the court to quash the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, arguing it discloses no known offence and establishes no prima facie case. He is also seeking N2 billion in damages against the SSS, alleging an abuse of court process.
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