ICPC Opposes El-Rufai Co-Defendant’s Bail Application
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has opposed the bail application filed by Jimi Lawal, the second defendant in the alleged financial misconduct case involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The Federal High Court in Kaduna, presided over by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, adjourned Lawal’s bail application to Friday, October 16, 2026, while the substantive case was fixed for December 8.
ICPC prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Mukhtar, disclosed after Wednesday’s proceedings that the commission had filed a counter-affidavit opposing the bail request.
“We have already filed a counter-affidavit to it. So, we are opposing the application,” Mukhtar said, declining to disclose the grounds for the opposition, as arguments had yet to be presented.
Lawal’s counsel had urged the court to grant him bail on medical grounds, arguing that his health condition justified his release. The defence also maintained that the prosecution should not oppose the application, having previously granted him administrative bail.
The prosecution, however, requested more time to study a further affidavit filed by the defence in response to its counter-affidavit.
Counsel to El-Rufai, Mustapha Abubakar, SAN, said the former governor’s defence team was also newly appearing in the matter and supported the adjournment to enable it to familiarise itself with the case and take over the brief from previous counsel.
Abubakar explained that the defence agreed to the adjournment in the interest of fair hearing, allowing the prosecution sufficient time to examine the additional court processes.
Mukhtar said the charges against the defendants involved about seven counts bordering on alleged financial misconduct. He stressed that the trial had yet to commence and no witnesses had been presented.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, appeared at the court on Wednesday under tight security, a day after attending proceedings in a separate case before the Kaduna State High Court.
The allegations against the former governor and Lawal remain before the court. Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The court is expected to hear Lawal’s bail application on Friday, while the substantive case will resume on December 8.
