By Wellington Jopelo
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday appeared before the Federal High Court in Kaduna under tight security over alleged corruption offences.
He arrived at the court premises around 9:00 a.m. in a Hilux vehicle and remained inside for over 30 minutes before being escorted into the courtroom at about 9:34 a.m.
El-Rufai was dressed in a light green babanriga with a matching cap and was surrounded by security operatives as he was taken into the courtroom.
Journalists who had arrived as early as 7:00 a.m. to cover the proceedings were denied access to the courtroom by operatives of the Department of State Services.
Security was heavily increased around the court located at the old Nigerian Defence Academy, with armed personnel deployed across the area.
The security team included officers from the DSS, Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, while vehicular movement was restricted, causing traffic delays.
The arraignment followed an earlier announcement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that El-Rufai would be charged in court on March 24, 2026.
According to the commission, he was arraigned alongside one Joel Adoga on charges including alleged conversion of public property and money laundering.
The ICPC also disclosed that a separate case had been filed against him and another individual, Amadu Sule, at a Kaduna State High Court over allegations of abuse of office and fraud.
El-Rufai’s arraignment comes after weeks of detention, which had drawn criticism from political groups and civil society organisations, who called for due process to be followed.