Court of Appeal Denies Bail to Nasir El-Rufai in 2026

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna upheld the refusal to grant bail to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ruling on October 10, 2026, that the trial judge acted within proper judicial discretion. In Appeal Number CA/K/254C/2026, the three-member appellate panel, led by Justice Onyekachi Aja-Otisi, delivered a unanimous judgment affirming the June 10 ruling by the Kaduna State High Court that rejected El-Rufai's second bail application.

The court found no miscarriage of justice in the lower court's decision, stating that El-Rufai's legal team did not present new facts or special circumstances to justify overturning the earlier ruling. The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lack of merit and scheduled the substantive trial to begin on October 12, 2026.

El-Rufai has been in custody since February 18, 2026, under court-authorized remand orders while facing prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for alleged mismanagement of public funds during his administration from 2015 to 2023.