Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, filed a fundamental human rights enforcement lawsuit. Justice Belgore sent the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory for reassignment.
According to reports, the development comes after the judge decided to take a leave of absence.
On Wednesday, February 25, the court postponed hearing El-Rufai’s bail request until Friday.
However, Justice Belgore revealed during Friday’s session that he would be taking a leave of absence. As a result, he sent the case file back to the FCT Chief Judge for reassignment to a different judge.
The lawsuit was filed against the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) in order to uphold El-Rufai’s fundamental human rights.
El-Rufai has been detained since he voluntarily submitted to the EFCC on Monday, February 16, 2026, according to a statement released on February 27 by his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye.
He was later transferred to the ICPC’s custody on the evening of February 18, the statement continued.
Due to the case’s reassignment, a new date for the bail application hearing is anticipated to be set after the case is assigned to a different judge.
As anti-graft agencies continue to detain El-Rufai, his legal team is working to have his rights upheld.
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