Fresh Trouble For El-Rufai As Kaduna CJ Refuses Request To Remove Judge From ICPC Case

Kaduna State Chief Judge, Justice Muhammad Aliyu, has denied a request by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai to transfer his ICPC corruption trial from Justice Darius Hyet Khobo to a different judge.

Standing trial on a nine-count charge brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), El-Rufai and his lawyer, Unong Akpan, submitted separate petitions on June 30 and July 6 accusing Justice Khobo of bias.

El-Rufai claimed that the judge attended social gatherings with Southern Kaduna leaders opposed to his former administration, where he allegedly pledged to deny bail and secure a conviction.

He further argued that a June 10 ruling indicated the judge had prejudged his guilt, framing the trial as a venue for political vengeance over security measures implemented during his tenure.

In response, Justice Aliyu invoked Section 111(1)-(4) of the Kaduna State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, and set up a three-member legal panel to investigate the allegations.

Reviewing the panel’s August 18 report alongside the petitions and the trial judge’s responses, the Chief Judge concluded in an August 19 letter that there were no grounds to reassign the case. He instructed Justice Khobo to continue presiding over the proceedings in accordance with law and fairness.