The Department of State Services (DSS) has failed to arraign former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, today. The prosecutor in the matter requested the court to grant a two-week adjournment to enable the DSS produce El-Rufai, who is in the custody of the ICPC.

Wole Iyamu SAN, leading El-Rufai’s team of lawyers, told the court that the DSS does not require any adjournment to produce El-Rufai from the custody of a sister agency.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the case to 23 April 2026, a two-month adjournment, longer than the two weeks requested by the prosecution counsel. This adjournment meant that the two applications to quash the DSS charges and the bail application were not taken. The DSS filed the charges on 16 February, prompting El-Rufai’s lawyers to file to quash them.

Meanwhile, the court denied El-Rufai's bail application, filed by his lawyer, stating that it had yet to take hold of the case, favouring the argument of the prosecuting lawyer that applying for bail was too early.

El-Rufai has been in the custody of agencies of the Federal Government since 16 February 2026, when he voluntarily reported at the EFCC. The ICPC took him into custody at night on 18 February and has not granted him administrative bail.