A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, may have been granted bail by the court, but he will remain in custody pending the fulfilment of stringent conditions attached to his release.
The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday admitted El-Rufai to bail in the sum of N200 million over alleged corruption charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
However, the trial judge, Justice Rilwanu Aikawa, ruled that the former governor must remain in the custody of the ICPC until all bail conditions are fully met.
The court described the conditions as “strict and extensive,” effectively delaying his release despite the bail approval.
Among the requirements, El-Rufai must provide two sureties in like sum of N200 million each. One of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Grade Level 15, while the other must be a recognised traditional ruler.
In addition, both sureties are mandated to deposit their international passports with the court as part of measures to ensure compliance with the judicial process.
The court also barred the former governor from making public comments relating to the case and directed him to attend all court sittings.
Sources close to the proceedings indicated that the conditions, which also reportedly include financial commitments and verification of assets, must be fully satisfied before El-Rufai can regain his freedom.
Reacting to the development, his son, Bello El-Rufai, confirmed that bail had been granted, while a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Hayatudeen Makarfi, also corroborated the ruling, noting that compliance with the conditions remained the key hurdle.
He explained that the involvement of a traditional ruler and other legal requirements could take time to process, thereby prolonging El-Rufai’s stay in custody.
Meanwhile, El-Rufai’s counsel, Ubong Akpan, declined to comment on the matter when approached by journalists after the court session.
The case, which has drawn significant public attention, was adjourned from April 1 to April 14, when the ruling on bail was delivered.
Despite securing bail, the former governor’s immediate release now hinges entirely on meeting the court’s conditions, a process that could take days or even longer to complete.
