Alleged Financial Misconduct : El-Rufai’s Trial Continues Today At Federal High Court

The alleged corruption trial of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, continues on Wednesday at the Federal High Court sitting in the state capital,  barely a day after an eight-hour session at the Kaduna State High Court.

The former governor was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged financial misconduct and abuse of office during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.

He is facing similar charges at the Federal High Court,  despite being granted bail some months ago.

During yesterday’s sitting,  a forensic investigator with the State Security Service, Segun Kayode, alleged that the defendant and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 to settle officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and intermediaries.

Kayode, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial,  said $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the payments, adding that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.

According to him, the recorded conversations centred on alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.

Kayode named a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Bashir El-Rufai among those allegedly mentioned in the conversations.

He told the court that they were allegedly directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.

The investigator further alleged that the discussions included plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

Kayode also alleged that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating IHS, which he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations were presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor. They remain allegations and have not been established by the court.

The proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 pm to 8:18 pm, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.

Earlier, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), objected to Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were not included in the prosecution’s proof of evidence.

Erokoro argued that the omission undermined his client’s right to a fair hearing, insisting that the defence was entitled to know the evidence it was expected to answer.

However, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), told the court that Kayode was a subpoenaed witness and that the omission did not automatically render his testimony inadmissible.

The resumed hearing came days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed El-Rufai’s appeal challenging the refusal of bail by the state high court.

In its judgment delivered on October 9, the appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision, ruling that the former governor had failed to establish sufficient grounds to warrant interference with the refusal of bail.

El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations of financial misconduct linked to his administration of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.