There was a strong security presence at the federal high court on Tuesday as Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor arrived for the ruling on his bail application.
Security operatives were deployed around the court premises, with movement tightly controlled as journalists and members of the public were kept at a distance.
The matter is before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, who had fixed Tuesday for a decision on El-Rufai’s bail request following fresh charges filed against him.
Earlier in the day, the former governor had also appeared before the Kaduna state high court, where proceedings were later adjourned until April 21.
The delay followed a fresh legal move by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission,(ICPC) which filed an amended nine-count charge against the former governor.
Speaking after Monday’s proceedings, defence counsel Ukpong Abang said the new charges were only served on the legal team in court.
“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,” he said.
He added that the defence would first review the amended charges before deciding its next steps.
“We will analyse the charges and make our position known. For now, there is nothing we can do until we have fully reviewed them,” Abang stated.
The court proceedings have drawn significant public attention, with many observers closely watching the latest legal battle involving the former governor.