Nigeria: Again, El-Rufai in Court in Kaduna for Bail Hearing

A former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday morning, arrived at the Federal High Court in Kaduna for the continuation of the hearing on his bail application.

According to a video report by ARISE News Channel, El-Rufai was seen stepping out of a security vehicle a few minutes after his arrival, drawing the attention of security personnel and a few onlookers nearby.

The resumed proceedings followed Tuesday's session, which was stalled after a series of legal moves by the defence introduced fresh twists to the case.

At the earlier hearing, the defence team filed a motion urging the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, to withdraw from the case over allegations of bias and a pending petition. The move sparked immediate objections from the prosecution.

In a sudden turn, however, the defence later submitted another application seeking to withdraw its request for the judge's recusal. The conflicting motions led to intense legal arguments between both sides, causing delays in the hearing of the bail application.

The situation was further complicated when the prosecution filed a counter-affidavit opposing the bail request, leaving the defence with limited time to review and respond.

Consequently, Justice Aikawa adjourned the matter to Wednesday for the continuation of the bail hearing.

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