NIGERIA: The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, suffered a setback on Monday after two co-defendants failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, forcing the court to adjourn proceedings until June 24, 2026.
The case, which is being heard by Justice Hauwau Buhari, involves allegations of abuse of office, fraud, and financial misconduct brought against the former governor.
El-Rufai arrived at the court premises at about 9:30 a.m. in a white Hilux vehicle, accompanied by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), and police personnel.
However, the anticipated proceedings could not commence as scheduled due to the absence of the two co-defendants, whose failure to appear stalled the arraignment and other aspects of the trial.
Following the development, Justice Buhari adjourned the matter to June 24, 2026, to enable the prosecution to perfect service of court processes on the absent defendants.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the sitting, counsel to El-Rufai, Akpan Ubang (SAN), said there was no substantial progress in the matter because the co-defendants had not been served with the charges.
According to the senior advocate, the prosecution is required to ensure that all defendants receive the charges before the case can proceed.
“Apart from that, nothing significant happened inside the court because they need to serve the co-defendants the charges, which made the case adjourned to the 24th of this month,” he said.
The adjournment means the court will now await confirmation that all parties have been properly served before taking further steps in the prosecution of the case.
It will be recalled that on April 14, 2026, Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, granted El-Rufai bail in the sum of ₦200 million. The bail conditions required two sureties, including a serving or retired civil servant on Grade Level 15 and a recognised traditional ruler.
