Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday took custody of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, at the federal high court in Kaduna.
El-Rufai was brought to the court on Wednesday by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for his bail application.
DSS operatives, however, took custody of the former governor after the court reserved judgment on his bail application to April 14.
On March 24, el-Rufai and Joel Adoga were arraigned by the ICPC on charges bordering on alleged fraud and money laundering.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Speaking with journalists after the court proceedings, Oluwole Iyamu, lead counsel to the former governor, said the defence team is hopeful about the judgment of the court pertaining to the bail application.
“The bail application was argued and responded to, and the ruling has been fixed for April 14. We look forward to that day. We are hopeful,” he said.
“We have put our arguments before the court, and this is a court of justice. We await the decision of the court.”
Speaking on the DSS case against el-Rufai scheduled for April 10 at the federal high court in Abuja, Iyamu said all necessary processes have been filed.
“That is a separate matter. As lawyers, we are ready. We have filed all necessary processes and will be in court. That is the DSS matter,” he said.
In February, DSS filed a three-count charge against el-Rufai over alleged unlawful interception of a telephone conversation, following comments he made during a television interview.
During an interview on ‘Prime Time’, an Arise Television programme, el-Rufai said “someone wiretapped” Nuhu Ribadu’s phone, allowing him to listen to the NSA instructing security operatives to effect his arrest.
About the Author
