ICPC arraigns El-Rufai in Kaduna court

Elrufai

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was on Tuesday arraigned before the Federal High Court in Kaduna by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption-related offences. El-Rufai appeared before Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, where proceedings focused on his arraignment on a multi-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency. Speaking to journalists after the session, counsel to the former governor, Ubong Akpan, said the charges largely relate to alleged deposits into El-Rufai’s domiciliary account and the monetization of his earnings.

“Out of 10 counts, they joined him on only one,” Akpan said, adding that the defence raised concerns about proceeding with the arraignment due to a pending matter involving the presiding judge.

He said despite the objection, Justice Aikawa went ahead with the arraignment and subsequently adjourned the case to March 31, 2026, to hear pending applications, including a bail request.

Akpan clarified that no bail application was made during Tuesday’s proceedings.

“It cannot be made for bail today because the application was made for arraignment today… It was adjourned to the 31st of this month to hear the application for bail,” he said.

Meanwhile, there was a show of support for the former governor as groups of youths staged a peaceful protest outside the court premises, calling for his immediate release and describing the charges as politically motivated.

Security personnel were deployed to maintain order as the demonstrators chanted solidarity songs and held placards. Vanguard