BREAKING: El-Rufai arrives Court for arraignment under tight security

A former Nasir El-Rufai arrived at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Tuesday morning under tight security for his arraignment on charges of alleged corruption.

El-Rufai was escorted to the court premises in a Hilux vehicle around 9:00 a.m., remaining in the car for over 30 minutes before entering the courtroom at approximately 9:34 a.m. Dressed in a light green babanriga with a matching cap, he was heavily guarded as operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Department of State Services formed a protective cordon around him.

Journalists who arrived as early as 7:00 a.m. were barred from entering the courtroom by DSS personnel. Security around the court, located at the old Nigerian Defence Academy, was intensified, with personnel from the DSS, Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed. Vehicular movement was restricted, causing traffic disruptions in the Ungwan Sarki-Kawo corridor.

The ICPC, through its Head of Media and Public Communications, John Odey, stated that El-Rufai would be arraigned alongside Joel Adoga under suit number FHC/KD/73/2026. Charges include alleged conversion and possession of public property and money laundering.

Additionally, a separate charge, marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26, has been filed against El-Rufai and Amadu Sule at a Kaduna State High Court, covering abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, and conferring undue advantage. Both charges were filed on March 18, 2026, with the date for the state court arraignment to be communicated later.

El-Rufai’s arraignment follows pressure from stakeholders, including the African Democratic Congress, which had demanded either his release or formal arraignment, citing constitutional concerns over his prolonged detention. Human rights groups, including Muslim Rights Concern, and his family have also raised concerns about alleged rights violations.

The former governor was initially detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, 2026, granted bail on February 18, and later re-arrested by the ICPC, remaining in custody pending this arraignment.