Precious Nwonu, Enugu

The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the refusal of his bail application by the state High Court.

A three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi reserved judgment on Tuesday after hearing arguments from lawyers representing El-Rufai and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

The appellate court did not announce a date for the delivery of its judgment.

Counsel to the ICPC, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the Kaduna State High Court was justified in refusing to grant El-Rufai bail.

Adedipe told the court that El-Rufai had made three separate bail applications before the trial court, all of which were rejected.

He argued that while the former governor was appealing the ruling on his second application, he failed to disclose that a subsequent third bail application had also been dismissed.

The ICPC counsel therefore described the appeal as lacking merit and urged the appellate court to uphold the lower court’s decision.

However, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling and release his client on bail pending the determination of the charges against him.

Erokoro argued that the offences against the former governor were bailable and did not attract the death penalty, stressing that continued detention was therefore unjustified.

The Senior Advocate also contended that El-Rufai’s continued detention was affecting his ability to prepare his defence by limiting his access to his lawyers and potential witnesses.

According to him, such restrictions could interfere with confidential communication between the former governor and his legal team and ultimately affect his right to a fair trial.

Erokoro further urged the court to consider the political circumstances surrounding the case, noting that the charges were filed against El-Rufai, a prominent opposition figure, as the 2027 general elections approach.

El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna State governor between 2015 and 2023, is facing prosecution by the ICPC over alleged financial offences linked to his administration.

The former governor has denied wrongdoing and challenged the circumstances surrounding his detention.

The ICPC is prosecuting El-Rufai alongside some former officials of the Kaduna State Government over alleged financial infractions.

Following the arguments from both sides, the appellate panel reserved its judgment without fixing a date for its delivery.