Due to Nasir El-Rufai’s absence from court, the arraignment of the former governor of Kaduna State was delayed on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Joyce Abdumalik decided to postpone the hearings to April 23, 2026.

Oluwole Aladedoye, the prosecution’s attorney, told the court during the resumption that even though the case was scheduled for arraignment, the defendant could not be brought because he was presently being held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission.

Despite both being federal security organizations, Aladedoye said that the Department of State Services, which started the charges, had no authority over the ICPC and asked the court to give a brief adjournment so the anti-graft agency could produce the former governor.

Although Oluwole Iyamu, the defendant’s attorney, did not object to the request for adjournment, he did pull the court’s attention to conversations with the prosecution that suggested the state would not object to bond.

The charges against El-Rufai were later certified by the prosecution to be bailable in public court.

Then, the defense asked the court to consider the bail request before moving forward.

The prosecution argued against the action, requesting that the court postpone the consideration of bail for a period of two weeks.

Iyamu maintained that his client had not yet been formally brought before the court to enter a plea, and that holding him for two more weeks without arraignment would be suppression.

He insisted that El-Rufai’s absence from court could not be attributed to the defense since they did not place him under arrest.

Additionally, he argued that the circumstances surrounding the defendant’s incarceration called for judicial involvement, especially since the agency that brought the accusations was not the one detaining him at the time.

He encouraged the court to use its authority to order the defendant’s production, citing Section 159 of the statute, regardless of whether agency held him.

The issue of bail could not be raised because the defendant had not yet been arraigned, according to Justice Abdumalik’s order.

The judge refused to entertain the bail application at this time, citing Section 156 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act as justification.

The case was then postponed by the court until April 23, 2026, for arraignment.

On February 16, 2026, the DSS filed a three-count accusation against El-Rufai in the Federal High Court in Abuja.

He is charged with illegally intercepting National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu’s phone conversations.

The charging sheet, which is labelled FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, claims that the former governor acknowledged intercepting NSA conversations with others when he appeared on Arise TV’s Prime Time Program on February 13.

According to the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003 and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act of 2024, the offenses are punished.

El-Rufai, meantime, has filed a notice move to have the allegations quashed through his legal team.

He called the accusations an abuse of the legal system and unlawful in the application, which was submitted on Tuesday.

Additionally, he requested that the court grant N2 billion in costs against the DSS, alleging that the agency had abused the criminal justice system to publicly victimize, harass, and shame him.