The family of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has announced the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai.
The announcement was made on Friday afternoon by his son, Bello El-Rufai, in a statement shared publicly.
“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. From Allah SWT we came and to Him we shall all return,” Bello wrote.
“I would like to inform the public of the demise of my grandmother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai who passed away a few hours ago. She is the biological mother of our father, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. We are grateful for the life she lived and may Allah SWT bless her gentle soul.”
He added, “On behalf of our family, we seek your prayers. Thank you.”
The development comes amid ongoing legal troubles facing the former governor, who is currently standing trial over alleged money laundering charges.
Nasir El-Rufai was earlier arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna, where he pleaded not guilty to a 10-count charge bordering on alleged financial improprieties.
The case was adjourned to March 31, 2026, for the commencement of trial and hearing of pending applications, including his bail request.
El-Rufai, who was brought to court under heavy security presence, faces allegations linked to financial transactions, although his legal team has maintained that he is directly connected to only one of the counts.
“The charges against Malam El-Rufai are essentially allegations of deposits into his domiciliary account and the monetisation of his earnings,” his lawyer told journalists after the court session.
“Out of about 10 counts filed, he was joined in only one.”
The lawyer further explained that the prosecution pushed for his arraignment despite pending applications, but the court exercised its discretion to proceed while fixing a later date to address outstanding matters.
“What happened is that the prosecution applied to arraign him, and I respectfully pointed out that since Malam El-Rufai had pending proceedings before the court, the judge, in his wisdom, decided to proceed with the arraignment and also adjourned the matter,” he said.
On the issue of bail, the defence noted that although an application had been filed, it could not be heard immediately.
“As for bail, no application could be made today. The arraignment took place today, and the bail application has been filed. The matter has been adjourned to March 31 for the hearing of the bail application,” the lawyer added.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the former governor’s arraignment drew a heavy deployment of security personnel, including operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force.
The death of his mother comes at a time of mounting legal and political pressure on the former governor, adding a personal loss to an already challenging period for the El-Rufai family.
