By Joy Yesufu
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, under stringent conditions, including reporting every month to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the submission of all international passports.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the surety must reside in either the Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property with the court registry.
The court further ruled that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and provide evidence of salary payments for at least three months.
The documents are to be authenticated through a letter issued by the surety’s bank manager within the court’s jurisdiction.
Justice Abdulmalik also directed the surety to depose to an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond, and submit a recent passport photograph to the court registry.
As part of the bail conditions, El-Rufai was ordered to surrender all valid international passports to the court.
The court also directed that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department, alongside a six-month tax clearance certificate, be submitted.
In addition, the judge ordered the former governor to report to the headquarters of the DSS on the last Friday of every month at 10 a.m. to sign the attendance register pending the determination of the case.
The court warned that failure to comply with any of the conditions would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.
Justice Abdulmalik further ordered the defendant to submit a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council.
El-Rufai’s legal troubles began on February 16, 2026, when he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Although he was granted bail two days later, he was subsequently re-arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and had remained in custody pending his arraignment.
