Meanwhile, a separate Federal High Court in Abuja scheduled June 17 to hear his N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, or ICPC.
El-Rufai was brought to court under strict security to continue his trial at the Kaduna hearings. He faces a 10-count accusation that includes allegations of money laundering, conversion, and possession of public property.

Due to the high-profile nature of the case, there was a lot of security on the court grounds, just as there had been during his previous arraignment before Justice Rilwan Aikawa.

Following the hearings, Mr. Ukpong Abang, SAN, the former governor’s attorney, revealed that the bail application hearing had been postponed until today.

We are in the middle of work, so I apologize, but I am unable to speak at this time. I have to go file the answers. “The bail application hearing has been postponed until tomorrow,” he remarked succinctly.

After being detained for more than a month, El-Rufai was later driven out of the courtroom by ICPC agents in a white Hilux.

After his mother, Hajiya Ummar El-Rufai, passed away in Cairo, Egypt, the anti-graft agency had previously given him a temporary release on compassionate grounds.

In a related event, the former governor and Amadu Sule were both hauled before a Kaduna State High Court on separate charges pertaining to suspected fraud, abuse of office, intent to conduct fraud, and conferring undue advantage. The charges before the Federal High Court are different from those brought by the ICPC.

El-Rufai’s trial was moved by the ICPC to the Federal High Court on the identical grounds following the State High Court proceedings.

Prior to the most recent adjournment, the court had scheduled the hearing of pending applications, including his bail request, for March 31, 2026.

However, El-Rufai filed a N1 billion basic rights enforcement lawsuit against the ICPC and others over an alleged illegal raid on his home, and the Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, scheduled the hearing for June 17.

The former governor is contesting the validity of a search warrant issued on February 4 that permitted a search of his home at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, in the lawsuit designated FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026.
He is arguing that the warrant, which was issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory, was unconstitutional because it reportedly did not comply with constitutional standards.

El-Rufai contended that the warrant violated his right to privacy protected by Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution since it lacked specificity, probable cause, and was rife with significant drafting flaws, ambiguity, and overbreadth.

He further argued that the execution of the warrant on February 19 by ICPC agents and Nigeria Police Force officers constituted a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights to personal liberty, fair trial, and human dignity as guaranteed by Sections 34, 35, and 36 of the Constitution.

El-Rufai is requesting that the court rule that the search and seizure that took place in his home was illegal and unconstitutional.

Additionally, he is requesting an order stating that any evidence gathered during the operation is not admissible in any proceedings against him because it was taken in violation of constitutional protections. The former governor also requested an injunction prohibiting the Inspector-General of Police, the ICPC, and other respondents from utilizing, relying upon, or presenting any information gathered during the search in any investigation or prosecution pertaining to him.

In addition, he asked the court to order the ICPC and the police to return everything that was taken from his home, along with a detailed list of all the materials that were found.

Following the court’s observation that the Chief Magistrate had not been properly identified, El-Rufai, through his attorney, Mr. Ugochukwu Nnakwu, requested to withdraw the Chief Magistrate who had previously been named as the second defendant in the complaint during Tuesday’s proceedings in Abuja.

Counsel for the respondents, including the ICPC, the police, and the Federation’s Attorney General, did not object to the application.

The magistrate’s name was later removed from the lawsuit by Justice Abdulmalik.
However, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, the ICPC’s attorney, contended that as the majority of the reliefs depended on the validity of the judge’s warrant, the removal of the magistrate had rendered the suit defective.

The court ordered the ICPC to submit its response after dismissing the objection and ruling that the applicant had the right to modify his procedures and pursue his case.