The Kaduna State High Court on Monday adjourned till Tuesday, April 14, for ruling on the bail application involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, after the prosecution amended the charges and dropped one co-defendant.
At the resumed arraignment, the amended charges were read, after which a plea was taken. The prosecution subsequently removed one of the earlier listed co-defendants, leaving only El-Rufai to stand trial.
Counsel to the El-Rufai, Ubong Akpan, told journalists that the court proceedings were largely centred on the fresh charges, which necessitated further review by the defence team before a substantive hearing could proceed.
According to him, a bail application was moved and taken by the court, while the matter was adjourned for ruling.
“The motion for bail was taken. The court took the plea of the defendant, and the prosecution amended the charge and removed one person, leaving only Mallam El-Rufai to face prosecution,” he said.
He added that the defence would need time to study the amended charges before proceeding further, noting that “the charges are new” and require proper examination.
The case has been adjourned to Tuesday for ruling on the bail application.