The Court of Appeal in Kaduna heard arguments from both El-Rufai’s legal team and the ICPC over the former governor’s bail applicationICPC counsel told the appellate court that El-Rufai had filed three separate bail applications before the trial court, all of which were refusedEl-Rufai’s lawyer argued that the charges against his client were bailable offences and that detention was hampering his ability to prepare a defencePAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng! Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policies and international affairs.Kaduna, Kaduna State – The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has reserved judgement in an appeal brought by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who is challenging the Kaduna State High Court’s refusal to grant him bail.As reported on Tuesday, October 6, by Channels Television, Presiding Judge Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi announced that the court had reserved judgment after hearing arguments from both sides. No date was fixed for the delivery of the judgment.The Court of Appeal in Kaduna reserves judgment on Nasir El-Rufai’s appeal challenging the refusal of bail by the Kaduna State High Court. Photo credit: Nasir El-Rufai Source: FacebookICPC urges court to dismiss El-Rufai’s appealICPC lead counsel Ayodeji Adedipe told the appellate court that the lower court acted correctly in denying El-Rufai bail and urged the court to throw out the appeal.
Adedipe said El-Rufai had gone before the trial court three times seeking bail, and all three applications were refused.PAY ATTENTION: From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram!He explained that the first application was dismissed outright, while the second was also refused after El-Rufai failed to demonstrate any exceptional circumstances. A third application was later filed and equally dismissed, but rather than appeal that ruling, El-Rufai chose to challenge the decision on the second application.Adedipe argued that El-Rufai’s legal team failed to disclose to the Court of Appeal that the third bail application had also been turned down, and on that basis described the appeal as unmeritorious.Paul Erokoro (SAN), counsel to Nasir El-Rufai, urges the Court of Appeal to grant the former Kaduna governor bail. Photo credit: @elrufai Source: TwitterEl-Rufai’s lawyer urges court to grant bailAccording to Leadership Newspaper, Paul Erokoro (SAN), counsel to El-Rufai, asked the court to overturn the High Court’s decision and grant his client bail while the charges against him are being determined.Erokoro argued that the offences for which El-Rufai was charged are bailable and do not constitute capital offences, making the continued denial of bail unjustifiable.
“Bail was a constitutional right except in capital offences,” he said, adding that holding his client in ICPC custody was undermining his ability to properly prepare a defence.The senior lawyer said the detention had restricted El-Rufai’s access to his lawyers and witnesses, and raised concerns about confidential communication between the defendant and his legal team being compromised.Erokoro also described El-Rufai as a prominent opposition figure and suggested it was not coincidental that criminal charges were brought against him close to an election period. He said the defence remained hopeful that the Court of Appeal would take a different position from the lower court.Read more on El-Rufai”Let me not say this”: APC reacts to El-Rufai’s absence from NEC meeting in AbujaNorthern group carpets El-Rufai over attacks on Tinubu, Ribadu: “You have no moral right”Sanusi raises questions on El-Rufai’s detentionEarlier, Legit.ng reported that amid El-Rufai’s detention, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II raised serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign, alleging that political connections can shield suspects from prosecution while others remain detained without conviction.Sanusi spoke on the sidelines of the Lagos launch of ‘The Unexplained Wealth Trilogy’, a book by senior advocate Wahab Shittu.The emir argued that passing anti-corruption legislation is only part of the solution, and that the institutions responsible for enforcing it matter just as much. Source: Legit.ng Ridwan Adeola Yusuf (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content writer with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014).
Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.
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