Armed security personnel descended on the premises and surroundings of the Federal High Court in Kaduna, Kaduna State, on Tuesday, ahead of the arraignment of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
ICPC, which has held Mr El-Rufai in custody for more than a month, announced on Monday the arraignment of the former governor scheduled for Tuesday in Kaduna.
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The anti-corruption agency’s operatives brought Mr El-Rufai to court at the Old Nigerian Defence Academy, on Tuesday.
They arrived with the former governor at the court complex at about 9:00 a.m. but did not immediately step out of the vehicle.
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At about 9.34 a.m., security agents escorted him from the vehicle to the courtroom.
The court premises were filled with security operatives, including agents of the State Security Service (SSS), who limited access to the area.
Operatives of the Nigerian police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were also part of the phalanx of security personnel on the court premises.
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Journalists were prevented from entering the courtroom.
Background
In a statement posted on X on Monday, ICPC’s spokesperson, John Odey, stated that Mr El-Rufai and Joel Adoga would appear before the Federal High Court in Kaduna for arraignment on charges in the case marked FHC/KD/73/2026.
The agency added that it also filed a separate case marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26 before the Kaduna State High Court against Mr El-Rufai and another co-defendant, Amadu Sule.
“The charges in the State High Court case range from abuse of office, fraud, and intent to commit fraud to conferring undue advantage, among others,” Mr Odey said.
He said both cases were filed on 18 March, noting that the date for arraignment at the state high court would be communicated by the court.
ICPC rearrested Mr El Rufai on 18 February as soon as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) released him after two days of detaining him over corruption allegations.
PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier this month that the ICPC explained in a court filing that it was detaining Mr El-Rufai to conclude his investigation.
ICPC gave the explanation in a filing opposing a suit Mr El-Rufai filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that his arrest and detention violated his fundamental rights. He asked the court to declare the actions of the anti-graft agencies unlawful and to award him N1 billion in damages.
But the ICPC said it started investigating Mr El-Rufa after receiving a petition accusing him and officials of his administration of financial misconduct between 2015 and 2023.
The petition raised allegations relating to loans obtained by the Kaduna State Government, procurement processes, transfers from government accounts and payments to companies and individuals.
ICPC said it began preliminary investigations and obtained documents from banks and government institutions. It then issued an invitation letter dated 9 February.
Mr El-Rufai is also facing prosecution by the State Security Service (SSS) over alleged phone-tapping claims involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed 23 April for his arraignment in that case.
The former governor haschallenged some of the actions taken against him in court, including a search conducted at his Abuja residence, which he described as unlawful.
He also filed a N1 billion suit against the ICPC, the Inspector-General of Police, and others, seeking to nullify the search warrant used for the operation and restrain authorities from relying on items recovered during the search.
The ICPC and the police have opposed the suit, maintaining that the search was conducted lawfully based on a valid court order.
He has denied any wrongdoing and described the investigations as politically motivated.
His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, also alleged that the anti-corruption agency was linking his client to properties abroad through unverified claims, an allegation the ICPC has not publicly addressed.
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