Atiku Faults Stringent Bail Conditions as Court Defers Ruling on El-Rufai’s Release to July 1

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing the stringent bail conditions imposed on him as a threat to constitutional rights and the rule of law.

His reaction came as a Federal High Court in Kaduna adjourned until July 1, 2026, to rule on bail applications filed by El-Rufai and his co-defendant, Jimi Lawal, in an alleged corruption case instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

El-Rufai, who appeared before two separate courts in Kaduna on Wednesday, is facing charges bordering on alleged abuse of office, financial impropriety and money laundering.

At the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, the former governor, Lawal, and several corporate entities were arraigned on an amended 11-count charge.

El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to count one, while Lawal pleaded not guilty to counts six, seven and eight. A corporate entity, Singularity Network Security Limited, was arraigned on counts two, three, four, five, nine, ten and eleven.

In all, El-Rufai, Lawal and five corporate entities are standing trial as defendants.
Following arguments by both the prosecution and defence on the bail applications, Justice Buhari adjourned the matter until July 1 for ruling.

Earlier, El-Rufai had also appeared before the Kaduna State High Court for the continuation of hearing in another ICPC case before Justice Darius Khobo over allegations of abuse of office and money laundering allegedly committed during his tenure between 2015 and 2023. The matter was adjourned until June 29 for further hearing.

El-Rufai has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that actions taken during his administration were lawful and in the public interest.

However, the ICPC alleged that its investigations uncovered irregularities in the handling of government funds and the award of contracts, resulting in the alleged diversion and misapplication of public resources.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the court’s refusal to review El-Rufai’s bail conditions as troubling, arguing that conditions that are practically impossible to meet amount to a “constructive denial of bail.”

“The law is settled that an accused person remains innocent until proven guilty. Bail exists to preserve that constitutional protection. It was never designed to become a sophisticated instrument for punishment before conviction,” he said.

Atiku questioned the rationale behind bail requirements that allegedly compel a defendant to produce a serving Grade Level 17 federal civil servant with verifiable property in Abuja’s Maitama or Asokoro districts.

“Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: is the objective to grant bail or to ensure that bail remains unattainable?” he asked.

He warned that such judicial decisions could set dangerous precedents capable of affecting the liberties of ordinary citizens.

“This is not merely about one individual. Today it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow it could be any citizen whose liberty depends not on the law but on whether he can satisfy conditions that few Nigerians can ever meet,” he stated.

The former vice president further expressed concern over what he described as a growing perception that opposition figures and government critics were increasingly being drawn into legal and administrative disputes, stressing that constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence must be protected.

“When bail conditions become impossible to satisfy, detention effectively becomes punishment before trial,” Atiku said, urging institutions involved in the administration of justice to uphold fairness, proportionality and respect for fundamental rights.