The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged financial misconduct continued on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, a day after proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court lasted nearly eight hours.
The cases were brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of office during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.
During Tuesday’s proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court, a forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, alleged that El-Rufai and some associates planned to set aside $600,000 to pay officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.
Kayode, the first prosecution witness, told the court that $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly earmarked for the payments. He also testified that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some individuals suspected to be his associates.
According to the witness, the conversations centred on alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.
Kayode further alleged that the recordings contained discussions about liquidating the company in Nigeria and Mauritius. He also claimed that the conversations included plans to prevent the EFCC from investigating another company he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The investigator named a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Bashir El-Rufai among those allegedly mentioned in the recordings.
However, the allegations remain unproven and are part of the prosecution’s evidence before the court.
During Tuesday’s hearing, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), challenged Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were not included in the prosecution’s proof of evidence. He maintained that the omission could undermine his client’s right to a fair hearing.
In response, ICPC counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), argued that Kayode had been summoned as a witness and that the omission did not automatically make his testimony inadmissible.
The court subsequently ruled that the witness could testify, provided the defence was given the opportunity to cross-examine him.
The proceedings lasted from approximately 12:26 p.m. to 8:18 p.m., with about two hours spent playing the recorded conversations.
The latest hearing follows the Court of Appeal’s decision in Kaduna on October 9 to dismiss El-Rufai’s appeal challenging the refusal of bail by the state high court.
The appellate court held that the former governor had failed to establish sufficient grounds for overturning the lower court’s decision.
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations linked to his administration of Kaduna State.
The cases remain ongoing, and the allegations against the former governor have yet to be established by the courts.
