Court adjourns El-Rufai’s trial to June 24 over absence of co-defendants

The Federal High Court in Kaduna on Monday adjourned proceedings in the trial involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, after two co-defendants failed to appear before the court.

The matter, instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), centres on allegations of abuse of office, financial misconduct and other related offences linked to El-Rufai’s administration.

El-Rufai was present in court and arrived in the morning accompanied by officials of the anti-graft agency, alongside security personnel from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force.

Proceedings, however, did not advance as scheduled following the absence of the two other defendants listed in the case.

After hearing submissions from counsel, the presiding judge adjourned the matter until June 24, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.

The former governor has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintains that actions taken during his administration complied with established legal and administrative procedures.

The prosecution alleges that public resources were committed to projects that were either not executed or were handled in a manner inconsistent with due process.

Earlier stages of the case had focused on bail conditions and preliminary applications brought before the court by defence counsel.

Monday’s sitting had been expected to address additional motions before the adjournment.

The case continues to attract attention because of El-Rufai’s role in Kaduna State politics and his tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023.