A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State. He got bail of N100 million with one surety in the same amount.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik set strict rules. The surety must live in Maitama or Asokoro and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy for a landed property with the court. The surety must be a federal civil servant at Grade Level 17 or above and show salary payment slips for at least three months.
Other conditions: an affidavit of means, a bail bond, a recent passport photo, a verification letter from the surety’s department, and a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months. El-Rufai must surrender all valid international passports. He must also report to the Department of State Services headquarters every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register until the case is decided. The court warned that any breach would lead to automatic revocation of the bail.
El-Rufai was arraigned over alleged tapping of the National Security Adviser’s phone. He was brought into court at about 8:55 a.m. by stern-looking DSS operatives who cordoned off the area. Journalists and court users were briefly barred from entering, prompting a small protest led by activist and former AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who said the court is public.
Speaking to Daily Trust anonymously, a staff of the ICPC said: “Yes, the ongoing case in court is not our case. They (DSS operatives) came to pick him here at about 7:00am in order to arraign him in court,” the source said.
