El-Rufai, pleads not guilty to money laundering charges … as Court adjourns case to March 31 By Lai Gidado
El-Rufai, pleads not guilty to money laundering charges
… as Court adjourns case to March 31
By Lai Gidado
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to allegations of money laundering, as a Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned the commencement of his trial to March 31, 2026.
El-Rufai, who appeared in court under tight security, faces a 10-count charge relating to alleged financial improprieties.
His legal team, however, insisted that he is directly implicated in only one of the counts.
Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, his lawyer described the charges as allegations linked to deposits into El-Rufai’s domiciliary account and the monetisation of his earnings.
“The charges against Malam El-Rufai are essentially allegations of deposits into his domiciliary account and the monetisation of his earnings.
Out of about 10 counts filed, he was joined in only one,” the lawyer said.
He added that the prosecution had sought to arraign El-Rufai despite pending applications before the court, and that the judge exercised discretion in proceeding with the arraignment while fixing March 31 to hear outstanding matters.
“What happened is that the prosecution applied to arraign him, and I respectfully point out that since Malam El-Rufai had pending proceedings before the court, the judge, in his wisdom, decided to proceed with the arraignment and also adjourned the matter to March 31 to hear any pending applications,” the lawyer explained.
On the issue of bail, he clarified that although an application had been filed, it could not be heard immediately.
“As for bail, no application could be made today. The arraignment took place today, and the bail application has been filed.
The matter has been adjourned to March 31 for the hearing of the bail application,” he said.
Journalists were barred from accessing the courtroom by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), raising questions about transparency in the proceedings.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) confirmed that El-Rufai was arraigned alongside one Joel Adoga over alleged conversion of public property and money laundering.
The anti-graft agency also said the former governor faces a separate case in a Kaduna State High Court involving allegations of abuse of office, fraud, and conferring undue advantage.
El-Rufai’s arraignment comes after weeks of controversy surrounding his arrest and detention.
He was first arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, granted bail on February 18, and later re-arrested by the ICPC. His extended detention drew criticism from political actors and civil society groups, who described it as a violation of his fundamental rights.
With the case now adjourned, all eyes are expected to be on the March 31 hearing, when the court will consider pending applications, including El-Rufai’s bail request.
