A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, in the sum of ₦100 million. The ruling follows his ongoing trial over an alleged breach of national security involving the unlawful interception of telephone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Presiding Judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, approved the bail application on Monday, May 18, 2026, attaching stringent conditions to the release. The Department of State Services (DSS) had initially arraigned El-Rufai on a three-count charge, which was recently upgraded to a five-count amended charge, centering on violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. The security agency’s case hinges on a February 2026 television interview where El-Rufai publicly claimed awareness of an alleged directive to arrest him after listening in on tapped phone conversations involving the NSA.
As part of the strict bail terms, the former governor must produce one surety in like sum who must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17. The surety is required to reside in the highbrow Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja and deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property valued at no less than the bail sum. Furthermore, El-Rufai must surrender all valid international passports to the court registry, obtain explicit judicial permission before traveling out of the country, and report to the DSS headquarters every last Friday of the month at 10:00 a.m. to sign an attendance register. Justice Abdulmalik also demanded a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council, warning that any failure to meet these guidelines will lead to an automatic revocation of his bail ahead of an accelerated trial.
