The Federal Excessive Courtroom in Kaduna Tuesday adjourned the corruption trial involving former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Wednesday 1 April, for the listening to of his bail software.
El-Rufai is being prosecuted by the Unbiased Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC) on a 10-count cost bothering on allegations of corruption.
He had been within the custody of the ICPC since February 19 till his momentary launch March 28 on compassionate grounds following the demise of his mom in Cairo, Egypt final Friday. She was buried on Sunday in Abuja.
The adjournment adopted a short courtroom session throughout which defence counsel filed a movement urging the presiding decide, Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, to recuse himself from the case on allegations of bias and the existence of a pending petition in opposition to him.
Nonetheless, the defence subsequently filed one other movement withdrawing the applying in search of the decide’s recusal.
The courtroom thereafter fastened Wednesday for the listening to of the bail software after the prosecuting counsel knowledgeable the courtroom {that a} counter affidavit had simply been filed.
Earlier, earlier than his look on the Federal Excessive Courtroom, the ICPC had arraigned El-Rufai on the Kaduna State Excessive Courtroom alongside a businessman, Amadu Sule, on allegations of abuse of workplace, fraud, tried fraud and the granting of undue benefit.
The presiding decide, Justice Darius Khobo, adjourned the matter to April 10 for listening to.
Counsel to El-Rufai, Ukpong Abang, declined to touch upon developments in each courts, stating that additional authorized processes have been ongoing and extra filings have been required.
In the meantime, journalists have been barred from accessing the courtrooms throughout proceedings.
Safety was heightened across the courtroom premises, with armed operatives deployed alongside the Anguwan Sarki to Kawo Street.
The restriction of motion on a bit of the highway led to extreme visitors congestion, leaving commuters stranded amid the prevailing excessive price of petrol.
John Shiklam
Times Nigeria