Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled April 23 for the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai on charges of cybercrime and breach of the Communications Act filed by the federal government.
The government’s attempt to arraign El-Rufai on Tuesday failed due to his absence in court. The former governor, who was to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, did not appear when the case was called.
Oluwole Aladedoye, a senior advocate representing the Department of State Services, told the court that El-Rufai was still under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. He noted that the DSS has no authority over ICPC and requested an adjournment to March 23.
El-Rufai’s lawyer, Oluwole Iyamu, did not oppose the adjournment but requested bail for his client. He cited legal authorities to support the request, while the prosecution argued that granting bail at this stage was premature and could only be considered after formal arraignment.
After hearing arguments, Justice Abdulmalik denied the bail request, ruling that El-Rufai could only apply for bail after he is formally arraigned. The judge then fixed April 23 for the arraignment.
