March 31, (THEWILL) — Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday returned to the Federal High Court in Kaduna for the continuation of proceedings in the corruption case instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), marking a significant step forward in the judicial process.
His appearance followed an earlier adjournment on March 24 and a brief compassionate release granted to enable him to attend the funeral rites of his late mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away in Egypt and was buried in Abuja.
Proceedings at the Kaduna court focused on the hearing of a bail application filed by his legal team, which is seeking terms that would allow the former governor to continue attending court sessions while the substantive matter is determined.
The ICPC is prosecuting El-Rufai over allegations bordering on abuse of office, fraud, and money laundering during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.
The Federal High Court had adjourned the matter to March 31 specifically for the hearing of the bail application, as the trial progresses through its interlocutory stages.
In a parallel legal development at the Federal High Court in Abuja, El-Rufai withdrew his fundamental rights enforcement suit against a Chief Magistrate listed as the second defendant in his N1 billion damages claim.
Counsel to the former governor, Ugochukwu Nnakwu, informed Joyce Abdulmalik shortly after the matter was called that a motion had been filed to strike out the magistrate’s name from the suit.
The decision followed earlier observations by the court regarding the failure to properly identify the magistrate in the originating process.
The application was not opposed by counsel representing the police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the ICPC, including Abdul Mohammed, SAN.
In a brief ruling, Justice Abdulmalik struck out the name of the magistrate as well as a pending motion seeking substituted service of court documents.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until June 17 to allow the applicant to amend his processes, despite initial objections from opposing counsel.
The suit, however, remains active against other respondents, including the ICPC, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
El-Rufai, in the originating motion filed in February, is seeking N1 billion in damages over what he described as alleged violations of his fundamental rights following a February 19 search of his Abuja residence.
He is asking the court to declare the search unlawful and to rule that any evidence obtained during the exercise is inadmissible in court.
He also seeks orders restraining the respondents from using materials recovered during the operation and compelling the return of all seized items.
In response, the ICPC maintained that the search was conducted based on a valid warrant issued on February 18 and executed in the presence of family members, including his wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son.
The commission insisted that the operation followed due process and was part of an investigation triggered by a petition.
Similarly, the Nigerian Police Force argued that its personnel acted within the law, stressing that the search warrant was duly obtained from a competent court and properly executed.
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