A Kaduna State High Court has dismissed a fresh bail application by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in his ongoing ICPC trial after rejecting a medical report submitted in support of the request.
Justice D.H. Khobo ruled on Thursday that the report, which claimed El-Rufai was suffering from advanced metastatic prostate cancer requiring treatment unavailable in Nigeria, lacked credibility after it was disowned by the National Hospital, Abuja.
The hospital, through its Chief Medical Director, Professor Muhammad Raji Mahmud, informed the court that it had no record of El-Rufai ever receiving treatment there and that the report was issued without its knowledge or authorisation.
The court held that the discredited document could not justify the exceptional relief sought and, consequently, dismissed the bail application.
However, the court directed the ICPC to continue granting El-Rufai unrestricted access to his doctor and to escort him to any specialised medical facility of his choice within Nigeria throughout the trial.