The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has reserved judgement in an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the refusal of his bail application by the Kaduna State High Court.
Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, who presided over the proceedings, reserved judgement after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and El-Rufai.
Counsel to the ICPC, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the High Court was right to deny the former governor bail.
Adedipe said El-Rufai had filed three separate bail applications before the trial court, all of which were rejected. He argued that the former governor appealed against the ruling on his second application without disclosing that his third application had also been dismissed.
He therefore described the appeal as lacking merit and urged the court to uphold the lower court’s decision.
However, counsel to El-Rufai, Paul Erokoro, SAN, asked the court to overturn the High Court’s decision and grant his client bail pending the determination of the charges against him.
Erokoro argued that the offences against El-Rufai were not capital offences and that there was no legal justification for keeping him in custody.
He also said El-Rufai’s detention had made it difficult for him to access his lawyers and witnesses, potentially affecting confidential communication and preparation for his defence.
The senior lawyer further described El-Rufai as a prominent opposition figure, arguing that the timing of the criminal charges, coming close to an election, raised concerns.
After hearing both sides, the Court of Appeal reserved judgement but did not announce a date for its delivery.
