Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the case against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to April 23 for arraignment.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against him over the alleged unlawful interception of communications, following comments he made during a television interview.
At the hearing on Wednesday, Defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, told the court that his client was in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and could not be brought for arraignment.
Iyamu urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable his production, and pressed for the bail application to be heard, noting that the prosecution had indicated it would not oppose bail as the offences were bailable.
However, the prosecution, led by Oluwole Aladedoye, asked the court to defer the bail request, arguing that the defendant had not yet been arraigned.
In a brief ruling, Justice Joyce Abdumalik held that since the defendant had not been formally arraigned, the bail application was premature.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to April 23, 2026, for arraignment.
