The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to April 23, 2026.
Earlier reports indicated that the proceeding was stalled after the defence failed to produce the defendant in court.
El-Rufai is facing a three-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged wiretapping of the phone of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
At the hearing, defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, told the court that his client was in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and could not be brought for arraignment.
Iyamu urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable his production.
He also pressed for the bail application to be heard, noting that the prosecution had indicated it would not oppose bail as the offences were bailable.
Prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, however, asked the court to defer the bail request on the ground 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 fixed April 23, 2026, for arraignment.
The Eagle Online had earlier reported that the arraignment stalled following an ongoing investigation by the ICPC.
