There was a heavy security presence at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Tuesday as former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, arrived for the ruling on his bail application.
The court, presided over by Justice Rilwan Aikawa, witnessed restricted movement around its premises, with security operatives stationed at strategic points to maintain order.
Our correspondent observed the former governor arriving at the court amid tight security, as journalists and members of the public were kept at a distance.
The court had fixed Tuesday for the ruling on El-Rufai’s bail application in relation to the new charges.
Earlier, El-Rufai had appeared before the Kaduna State High Court, which was his first port of call at 9:00 a.m.
However, proceedings at the court did not progress as expected, with the presiding judge, Darius Khobo, adjourning the bail ruling to April 21.
The development followed fresh legal moves by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which filed an amended nine-count charge against the former governor.
Speaking to journalists after proceedings on Monday, counsel to the former governor, Ukpong Abang, disclosed that the prosecution amended the charges, dropping one of the earlier defendants and leaving El-Rufai as the sole defendant.
“The charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court. That is why the matter could not proceed to hearing,” Abang said.
He added that the defence team would take time to study the amended charges before deciding on the next line of action.
“We will analyse the charges and make our position known. For now, there is nothing we can do until we have fully reviewed them,” he stated.
Following the development, the court adjourned the case to Tuesday, April 14, for ruling on the bail application, but it was subsequently adjourned till April 21.
