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Drama unfolded on Tuesday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama judicial division, during proceedings in the trial of Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Justice Maryann Anenih had earlier delivered judgment in a civil matter before calling the criminal case between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Bello.
Kemi Pinheiro, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, appeared as counsel to the prosecution in the case.
Z. E. Abbas, counsel to the third defendant, was preparing to commence cross-examination of the prosecution witness when the court indicated that it would rise by 2:30pm.
The court, however, said it could consider granting an additional 30 minutes if counsel would be able to conclude the cross-examination within that period.
Responding, Pinheiro urged the court to extend the sitting time to enable the defence to conclude the cross-examination and allow the prosecution to call a fresh witness on the next adjourned date.
Pinheiro said all parties had arrived in court as early as 9:00am but proceedings were delayed because the court first delivered judgment in another matter.
He said the parties had waited for about four hours while the court carefully read the entire judgment in open court.
Pinheiro said, “My Lord, I was actually pitying Your Lordship while reading the entire judgment for almost four hours.
“At the Supreme Court, the practice is that only the first three pages and the last four pages are read during the delivery of judgment.
“That approach saves time and also helps to preserve the health and energy of the court.”
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to Wednesday and Thursday for continuation of cross-examination and further hearing in the trial.
However, the judge directed that the case be placed as number two on the cause list for the following day, despite earlier discussions in court.
Supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kano State on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, without being formally charged in court.
The demonstrators, led by leaders of coalition groups and members of the El-Rufai Support Group, gathered at the ADC state office in Kano to express concern over what they described as prolonged detention without trial.
The protesters carried placards calling for justice for the former governor and demanded his immediate release so he could reunite with his family and continue observing the Ramadan fast.
Speaking during the protest, a leader of the El-Rufai Support Group and a member of the ADC, Al’amin Nuraddeen Amin, said the rally was organised to draw attention to El-Rufai’s situation.
“We organised this peaceful protest to express our concern over the continued detention of Malam Nasir El-Rufai without being taken to court,” Amin said. “We are calling on the ICPC to either charge him before a competent court immediately or release him.”
He added that the group might consider legal action against the anti-graft agency if the situation persists.
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Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the SDP in Kano State, Usaini Maidawa Gabasawa, said the protest was aimed at showing solidarity with the former governor.
“Our demand is simple: either release him or charge him in court in accordance with the law,” Gabasawa said.
In his remarks, the Kano State Chairman of the ADC, Musa Sha’aibu Ungoggo, described the continued detention of El-Rufai by security agencies as a violation of due process.
“As far as we know, security agencies have not officially disclosed any offence against him,” Ungoggo said.
He further stated that opposition parties would continue political efforts to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that they would work towards preventing the party from winning the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai had earlier presented himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16 following an invitation by the agency.
He was subsequently reported to have been handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) and is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), according to the protesters.
The demonstrators reiterated their call on the authorities to either release the former governor or promptly arraign him in court to ensure justice and due process.
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi broke weeks of public silence on Monday to condemn the arrests and ongoing detention of African Democratic Congress leaders Nasir El-Rufai and Abubakar Malami, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponizing criminal prosecution against political opponents ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement posted on X, Obi described the situation as a “blatant persecution of political opponents disguised as criminal prosecution,” saying the timing of the arrests — which coincided with both men’s public commitment to removing the Tinubu administration from power in 2027 — raised serious questions about the government’s motives. He called the integrity of Nigeria’s rule of law “non-negotiable,” warning that its erosion threatened both economic development and national stability.
The intervention was notable for two reasons. First, Obi is himself a member of the ADC, having declared his 2027 presidential ambitions under the party’s platform — making the arrests of its two most prominent members a direct attack on the party’s organizational capacity as it builds toward the election cycle. Second, Obi had been publicly silent on both cases for weeks despite mounting pressure from political commentators who noted the contradiction between his anti-corruption platform and his reluctance to defend colleagues facing prosecution. Critics had pointed out that Obi was vocal when it came to the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, insisting the IPOB leader should be freed, while staying silent as the EFCC and ICPC moved against El-Rufai and Malami. Monday’s statement resolved that silence with a direct and unambiguous critique.
Malami, his wife Asabe Bashir, and his son Abdulaziz were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities totaling N8,713,923,759.49. All three pleaded not guilty, but the court ordered their remand in Kuje and Suleja prisons pending bail applications. The arraignment was the latest development in a legal process that began with Malami’s initial detention and has widened to encompass his immediate family members — a development the ADC described as crossing constitutional lines.
El-Rufai’s legal situation has been equally turbulent. He was detained by the EFCC on February 16, released on February 18, and immediately re-arrested by ICPC operatives. He has remained in ICPC custody since then. He is standing trial on charges of allegedly intercepting the phone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu — charges filed before the Federal High Court Abuja as Case FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026. Separately, a N432 billion probe into his tenure as Kaduna State governor is ongoing, making his legal exposure the broadest of any current opposition politician in Nigeria.
Obi singled out El-Rufai’s case as particularly alarming, citing the former governor’s repeated transfers between the EFCC, ICPC, and DSS as evidence of institutional overreach.
“The situation surrounding Malam El-Rufai is particularly concerning; his repeated transfers between the EFCC, ICPC, and DSS suggest a desperate search for any charge that might stick, straying dangerously close to a fishing expedition rather than a credible investigation,” he said. He added that the denial of bail or the imposition of unjustly stringent bail conditions left “little doubt that the government is wielding criminal prosecution as a weapon against its political opponents.”
The ADC had already issued its own formal response to the arrests the previous week. ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi questioned whether detention was being used as an investigative shortcut or as pressure to keep opposition figures out of circulation, stating: “Nigeria and Nigerians will not accept a situation where the coercive instruments of the Bola Tinubu-led federal government are perceived to move with unusual speed against opposition figures, while similar matters elsewhere travel at a gentler pace.” The party drew a pointed contrast with a separate high-profile case involving allegations of passport forgery and international conspiracy in which the defendants were swiftly granted bail and proceedings advanced at normal pace — a comparison the ADC said demonstrated the selective application of pretrial detention rules.
