The court mandated that the individual standing as surety must be a resident of either the high-end Maitama or Asokoro districts within Abuja. Furthermore, this person is required to surrender the original Certificate of Occupancy for a landed property to the court's registry as a form of collateral. In a move that underscores the gravity of the situation, the surety must also be a senior federal civil servant, holding a rank not lower than Grade Level 17. To verify this employment and financial stability, the surety must provide documented proof of salary payments for a minimum of the last three months.
The list of requirements extends further. The proposed surety is obliged to submit a sworn affidavit of means, enter into a formal bail bond, and provide a recent passport-sized photograph. Additional bureaucratic hurdles include producing a verification letter from their government department and a valid tax clearance certificate covering the preceding six months. For the defendant himself, Justice Abdulmalik ordered the surrender of all his valid international passports to the court, effectively restricting his ability to travel outside the country.
Perhaps one of the most intrusive conditions is the monthly reporting order. The court directed El-Rufai to present himself at the headquarters of the Department of State Services on the last Friday of every month by 10 a.m. sharp. There, he must personally sign an attendance register, a measure that will continue for the duration of his case until a final determination is made. The judge issued a stern warning that any violation of these meticulously outlined conditions would result in the immediate and automatic revocation of his bail, leading to his return to custody.
The former governor's arrival at the court premises earlier that Monday morning was itself a scene of heightened security and mild controversy. He was brought in around 8:55 a.m. by operatives of the secret police, whose stern demeanor and strategic positioning around the court complex created a cordoned-off zone. This security clampdown had the immediate effect of barring journalists, court staff, and other members of the public from entering the premises as soon as El-Rufai arrived.
This restriction sparked a brief but vocal protest. Among those leading the demonstration was activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who passionately argued that a court is a public institution and should not prevent any Nigerian citizen who wishes to observe judicial proceedings from doing so. The heavy-handed security detail, drawn from the Department of State Services, had reportedly begun their operations very early that day. According to an anonymous staff member of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission who spoke to reporters, DSS operatives arrived at the anti-graft agency's facility as early as 7:00 a.m. to take custody of the defendant and transport him to court for his arraignment. The source clarified that the ongoing case was not under the ICPC's purview, but that the DSS had coordinated to collect El-Rufai from their location for the court appearance. The charges against the former governor, as previously reported, relate to the alleged illegal tapping of the National Security Adviser’s telephone communications.
