Court of Appeal Reserves Judgment on El-Rufai's Bail Appeal

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has reserved judgment on an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the Kaduna State High Court's refusal of his bail application. Hon. Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi presided over the court session, where arguments were presented by both the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and El-Rufai's counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN.

Ayodeji Adedipe, the lead counsel for the ICPC, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, stating that El-Rufai had previously filed three bail applications, all of which were denied due to a lack of exceptional circumstances. Erokoro argued that the charges against El-Rufai were not capital offences and that denying bail infringed on his constitutional rights, complicating his ability to prepare a defense.

The appellate court did not set a date for the judgment after hearing both sides.