ICPC files fresh nine-count corruption charges against El-Rufai

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed amended nine-count charge against Nasir el-Rufai for alleged fraud.

Court documents show that the amended charge, filed on April 10, 2026, before the Kaduna State High Court, marks a major shift from the earlier 10-count charge, which was based largely on alleged money laundering under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

At Monday’s proceedings, defence counsel, Ukpong Abang, said the revised charges came as a surprise to the defence team.

“The charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court,” Abang said.

He added that the team would study the new allegations before responding.

“We will analyse the charges and make our position known. For now, there is nothing we can do until we have fully reviewed them,” he stated.

The court has adjourned ruling on El-Rufai’s bail application to April 14.

The amended charge removes earlier allegations tied to domiciliary accounts and foreign currency inflows, replacing them with claims centred on governance decisions and alleged abuse of executive authority during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.

In the new filing, the ICPC accused El-Rufai of inducing the state government to confer an N11 billion benefit on Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited for a light rail project that was allegedly never executed.

The commission also alleged that he approved and received about N289.8 million in severance benefits, far above the legally approved amount of about N20 million—an offence now framed as abuse of office.

Another new count claims that El-Rufai and others mishandled over $1 million linked to a World Bank loan, allegedly disposing of the funds in violation of agreed terms.

The amended charge further introduces allegations that El-Rufai and an associate attempted to influence federal investigators in 2025, including meetings in Dubai and Cairo, in a bid to compromise an ongoing probe involving a private firm.

In addition, the ICPC accused the former governor of violating procurement laws in the award of multi-billion-naira CCTV surveillance contracts, allegedly conferring undue advantage on a company.

Other counts relate to alleged unlawful land revocation and reallocation to associates, including a property along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway.

El-Rufai was earlier arraigned alongside businessman Amadu Sule, but the amended charge now lists him as the sole defendant after the withdrawal of one co-accused.

With the revised charges, the case has shifted from a money trail-focused prosecution to a broader corruption and abuse of office case.

The outcome of the bail ruling is expected to determine the next phase of what has become one of the most closely watched corruption trials involving a former state governor in Nigeria.