The High Court of Kaduna State has again dismissed an application for bail filed by the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, in the ongoing criminal proceedings instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Honourable Justice D. H. Khobo delivered a considered ruling on June 29, 2026, on the defendant’s third application for bail, this time on medical grounds.
A central issue considered by the court was the medical report relied upon by Mallam El-Rufai in support of his application.
The report, annexed to the application as Exhibit ‘A’ and purportedly issued by the National Hospital, Abuja, claimed that the former governor had been diagnosed with advanced metastatic prostate cancer requiring specialised treatment that was allegedly unavailable anywhere in Nigeria.
In opposing the application, the ICPC presented documentary evidence from the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Abuja, Professor Muhammad Raji Mahmud, disowning the document relied upon by the defendant.
According to the document issued by the Chief Medical Director, a comprehensive search of the hospital’s electronic medical records and patient indexes revealed no hospital number, patient file, billing record, consultation history or any evidence that the defendant had ever been treated at the facility.
The hospital further confirmed that the report was issued without the knowledge or authorisation of its management.
Relying on this evidence, the court held that the credibility and reliability of the medical report had been fundamentally undermined and that a document formally disowned by the institution on whose letterhead it was issued could not serve as the basis for the exceptional relief sought by the applicant.
With the collapse of that evidential foundation, the court found no reliable and institutionally validated material facts to justify the exercise of judicial discretion in favour of bail on health grounds.
In refusing the application, the court also ordered that the commission should continue to provide the defendant with unrestricted access to his personal medical practitioners and ensure that he is escorted to any specialised diagnostic or clinical facility of his choice within Nigeria, as required, throughout the pendency of the trial.
The commission noted that the order is consistent with its existing practice and reaffirms its commitment to full compliance.
The ICPC welcomed the court’s ruling as a reaffirmation of the principle that applications for bail on medical grounds must be supported by credible and verifiable evidence and determined strictly in accordance with the law.
The commission said it remains committed to conducting all investigations and prosecutions with professionalism, fairness and respect for the rule of law, while ensuring that every person brought before the courts is accorded all rights guaranteed under the Constitution and other applicable laws, as contained in a statement signed by J. Okor Odey, Spokesperson and Head, Media and Public Communications, ICPC.