By Achile Danjuma
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was on Tuesday morning brought before the Federal High Court in Kaduna under tight security for his arraignment over alleged corruption-related offences.
El-Rufai arrived at the court premises at about 9am in a Hilux vehicle but remained inside for over 30 minutes before being escorted into the courtroom around 9:34 a.m.
In a video shared by NTA News, the former governor appeared in a light green babanriga with a matching cap, flanked by heavily armed operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) who formed a tight security cordon as he was escorted into the courtroom.
Despite the high-profile nature of the proceedings, journalists were denied access to the courtroom. Reporters who arrived as early as 7am were barred by DSS operatives from covering the arraignment, raising fresh concerns over transparency.
Security presence around the court, located within the old Nigerian Defence Academy area, was significantly intensified, with armed personnel drawn from the DSS, Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed from the early hours.