A Federal High Court has adjourned the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to April 23.
When the case was called, prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladeloye (SAN), informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the defendant’s arraignment. However, proceedings could not continue as the Department of State Services (DSS) failed to produce El-Rufai in court.
The prosecution subsequently applied for an adjournment to allow the DSS liaise with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure the defendant’s presence on the next adjourned date.
Counsel to the defendant, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), expressed concern over his client’s absence. He argued that if the DSS genuinely intended to present El-Rufai in court, it would have been seamless, as the former governor was reportedly in the custody of a sister security agency.
Iyamu cited Sections 158 and 159 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and urged the court to either proceed with hearing his client’s pending bail application or order that he be produced before the court the following day.
In her ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the bail application was premature since the defendant had not been formally arraigned. She noted that it was the prosecution’s responsibility to produce the defendant in court.
The judge consequently adjourned the matter until April 23 for arraignment.