The Federal High Court in Kaduna on Thursday adjourned the trial of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and six other defendants over an alleged N8.68bn CCTV surveillance contract fraud until December 8, following changes in the legal teams representing the prosecution and the former governor.
The case, instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), came up before Justice Hauwa’u Buhari at the Kaduna Judicial Division of the Federal High Court.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the newly appointed prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Muktar, informed the court of changes to the prosecution team and requested an adjournment to enable him to study the case file, review previous proceedings and familiarise himself with the allegations against the defendants.
Similarly, Mustapha Abubakar, SAN, who appeared as the new counsel to El-Rufai, also sought more time to familiarise himself with the case after taking over the defence from the former legal team.
Justice Buhari granted the requests and adjourned the substantive trial until December 8, 2026, for hearing.
Meanwhile, the court also considered a pending bail application filed by the second defendant, Jimi Adebisi Lawal, a former Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor to El-Rufai.
The judge adjourned the application until Friday, October 16, for ruling.
El-Rufai, Lawal and five corporate entities were arraigned before the court on June 25, 2026, on an amended 11-count charge bordering on alleged corruption, money laundering and related offences.
The case, marked FHC/KD/93C/2026, lists El-Rufai as the first defendant and Lawal as the second defendant.
The five corporate entities named in the charge are Singularity Network Security Limited, Solar Life Nigeria Limited, Knowledge Investment Nigeria Limited, Intercellular Nigeria Limited and Noble Coast Resources Limited.
The allegations centre on the award of a CCTV surveillance contract valued at approximately N8.68bn for Kaduna metropolis during El-Rufai’s administration.
The ICPC alleged that the contract was awarded in violation of applicable public procurement requirements and involved a company that lacked the requisite experience and qualifications.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The trial is scheduled to resume on December 8, while the court is expected to rule on Lawal’s bail application on October 16.
