The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed an amended nine-count charge against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, bordering on alleged fraud, abuse of office, and corruption.
Proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court on Monday revealed that the revised charges now list El-Rufai as the sole defendant, following the removal of an earlier co-accused from the case.
Defence counsel, Ukpong Abang, told journalists that the legal team was unable to proceed with the hearing after the amended charges were served in court on the same day.
He noted that the new filings introduced fresh elements unfamiliar to the defence, making it necessary to study the details before responding.
“The charges are entirely new to us. They were served this morning while we were already in court, which made it impossible to continue with the hearing,” Abang explained.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to April 14 for a ruling on the former governor’s bail application.
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In the charge sheet marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/2026, the ICPC accused El-Rufai of multiple infractions during his tenure, including an alleged N11 billion rail project fraud involving Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited, said to have been awarded without execution.
The anti-corruption agency further alleged that the former governor approved and received severance benefits amounting to about N289.8 million—far exceeding the legally sanctioned N20 million.
Other counts include the alleged mismanagement of over $1 million from a World Bank loan, violations of procurement procedures in a multi-billion-naira CCTV contract, unlawful land allocations, and attempts to influence federal investigators.
The ICPC also claimed that El-Rufai conspired with individuals still at large to offer inducements aimed at compromising an ongoing investigation.
The case is part of a broader probe into alleged financial misconduct during the former governor’s administration, with legal proceedings expected to intensify following the court’s ruling on bail.