El-Rufai returns to court for bail hearing

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday morning for the continuation of his bail application hearing.

He was driven into the court premises around 9:00am and stepped out of his vehicle five minutes later, attracting the attention of security personnel and a few onlookers already stationed in the area.

Wednesday’s sitting follows a disrupted session on Tuesday, when proceedings were stalled due to a string of legal manoeuvres by El-Rufai’s defence team. The defence had first filed a motion asking the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, to withdraw from the case over allegations of bias and a pending petition against him.

But in an unexpected turnaround, the defence later submitted another motion seeking to withdraw that request, prompting heated exchanges between both legal teams and causing procedural delays.

Matters became more complicated when the prosecution filed a counter-affidavit opposing El-Rufai’s bail bid, leaving the defence little time to review and prepare a response. With the back-and-forth unresolved, Justice Aikawa adjourned the hearing to Wednesday.

Security presence around the court remained tight, with armed officers stationed at strategic points and movement heavily restricted. Journalists were not allowed into the courtroom as security operatives enforced strict access control.