The Federal High Court in Kaduna was unable to proceed with its scheduled sitting on Wednesday after the presiding judge, Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, reportedly fell ill.

This development led to a delay in delivering ruling on the bail applications filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and his co-defendant, Jimi Lawal.

The case, which is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), had already reached the stage of ruling after both prosecution and defence counsel had presented their arguments.The court had earlier fixed July 1, 2026 for judgment, but proceedings could not go ahead as planned due to the judge’s health condition.A court source confirmed that the judge was unwell, and a new date for the ruling will be communicated to all parties involved.

This delay comes shortly after a separate ruling from the Kaduna State High Court, which had rejected El-Rufai’s bail application in another ICPC-related case, describing the application as lacking merit.However, that court also directed the ICPC to allow El-Rufai access to medical care and his chosen medical team within Nigeria.

In the Federal High Court case, El-Rufai, alongside Jimi Lawal and five companies, is facing an amended 11-count charge involving alleged abuse of office, financial impropriety, and money laundering.El-Rufai has consistently denied all allegations, insisting that his actions while in office were lawful and done in the public interest.The matter will continue once a fresh date is fixed by the court.