The air outside the Kaduna courtroom felt heavy this Tuesday—there was this lingering scent of exhaust fumes mixed with the nervous energy of supporters waiting for news. It’s been a long road for Nasir El-Rufai, who has been in the custody of the ICPC since February 19. Finally, Justice Rilwanu Aikawa stepped in and granted the former governor bail. But here is the kicker: he isn’t going home just yet.
The court set the bail at a staggering N200 million. That’s a massive amount, obviously, but the real catch is the list of about ten conditions attached to it. He’s got to provide a surety with landed property and a traditional title, plus he’s strictly forbidden from chatting to the press about the case. It’s quite the list—actually, maybe it’s standard for cases like this, who knows? Either way, he’s staying put in ICPC custody until every single box is ticked.
It’s a bit of a mess, honestly. While the Federal High Court gave him a path to temporary freedom, he’s still staring down another criminal case in a separate Kaduna High Court. That judge, Darius Khobo, is keeping everyone waiting until April 21 to decide on his own bail application. So even if he gets the N200 million situation sorted out, the other court still has its own grip on him. It’s like, you get one door open only to find another locked behind it.
Misryoum reports that the charges against him are pretty extensive. We’re talking about an alleged N11 billion diverted into an unregistered entity for a phantom light rail project, plus accusations of pocketing a severance package way higher than the law allows—nearly N289 million compared to the usual N20 million. He’s also facing heat over a $1.08 million World Bank loan and a dodgy N4.6 billion CCTV contract. He denies it all, of course. He’s always denied it.
Bello El-Rufai, his son, seemed relieved when he spoke to the press, though he was careful to keep his distance from the legal heavy lifting. He thanked everyone and kept emphasizing that the legal process needs to do its work without media circus antics. He’s proud of his father, he said. It’s personal for him, clearly. He dodged the technical questions, passing them off to the lawyers because, well, that’s just how these things go.
Legal experts are already pointing out the obvious. Barrister El Zubair Abubakar noted that these dual proceedings make an immediate exit impossible. You can meet the conditions for one court and still end up staying in custody because the other court hasn’t weighed in yet.
So, for now, the former governor remains in custody. He waits. We wait. And the courts keep moving at their own steady, often exhausting, pace.