The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged financial misconduct is scheduled to continue on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, following an eight-hour hearing at the Kaduna State High Court on Tuesday.

El-Rufai was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of office during his tenure as governor.

He is also facing related charges at the Federal High Court, where he had previously been granted bail.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, a forensic investigator with the State Security Service (SSS), Segun Kayode, alleged that El-Rufai and some of his associates planned to pay $600,000 in bribes to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.

Kayode, the first prosecution witness, told the court that $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly earmarked for the payments.

He further testified that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving El-Rufai and some individuals suspected to be his associates concerning alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.

According to the investigator, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Bashir El-Rufai were among those allegedly mentioned in the recordings.

Kayode further alleged that the individuals were directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of adopting a similar process for Singularity.

He told the court that the conversations also involved alleged plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

The witness also alleged that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating IHS, which he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations were presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence and have not been established by the court.

The hearing lasted from 12:26 p.m. to 8:18 p.m., with approximately two hours spent playing the audio recordings.

At the commencement of the proceedings, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), challenged the admissibility of Kayode’s testimony, arguing that the witness’s name and summary of evidence were not included in the prosecution’s proof of evidence.

Erokoro contended that the omission infringed on his client’s right to a fair hearing, insisting that the defence must be adequately informed of the evidence it is expected to answer.

However, ICPC counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), argued that Kayode was a subpoenaed witness and that his absence from the proof of evidence did not automatically render his testimony inadmissible.

Tuesday’s hearing followed the dismissal of El-Rufai’s bail appeal by the Court of Appeal in Kaduna.

In its judgment delivered on October 9, the appellate court upheld the state high court’s refusal to grant him bail, ruling that he had not presented sufficient grounds to justify overturning the decision.

El-Rufai has remained in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over alleged financial misconduct linked to his administration of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023.

The proceedings are expected to continue on Wednesday as the prosecution advances its case against the former governor.