The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has decried restricted access to Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) detention facility in Abuja.
El-Rufai has been in the custody of the ICPC since February
19 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna
between 2015 and 2023.
On March 28, the former governor was granted temporary leave
to attend his mother’s funeral.
In 2024, the Kaduna state house of assembly indicted
el-Rufai over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and money
laundering and demanded that he be investigated by anti-graft agencies.
On April 13, 2026, the ICPC arraigned el-Rufai at the Kaduna
high court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse
of office.
On May 16, Mohammed Bello, el-Rufai’s son, alleged that ICPC
operatives denied his father access to medical and family care at its detention
facility.
However, Okor Odey, ICPC spokesperson, described the claim
as “false and misleading”.
‘ADC’S DELEGATION DENIED ACCESS TO EL-RUFAI WITHOUT
REASONABLE EXPLANATION’
In a statement, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity
secretary of the ADC, said a delegation of the party led by Rauf Aregbesola,
national secretary, and Salihu Lukman, secretary of the policy and manifesto
committee, was also prevented from seeing el-Rufai on Friday.
“Despite prior communication and formal requests, we were
denied access without any reasonable explanation,” the statement reads.
“While we were at the premises awaiting a response to our
request, the atmosphere suddenly became noticeably tense after no fewer than
three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility.”
Abdullahi noted that the “heavy deployment of policemen”,
created the false impression that opposition leaders’ presence at the
commission could trigger public outrage.
He expressed deep concerns that “a simple request by senior
party officials to visit a detained colleague was met, not with
professionalism, but with a show of force more suited to the suppression of
civil unrest.”
“At no point did members of our delegation threaten
disorder, incite confrontation, or mobilise supporters to the premises,”
Abdullahi said.
“Yet the response of the state suggested panic, fear, and an
attempt to intimidate not only our party leaders, but also any Nigerian who may
dare to question the treatment being meted out to opposition figures.”
He added that “such actions only reinforce growing public
concern that state institutions are increasingly being used, not merely for law
enforcement, but as instruments of political pressure and psychological
intimidation against dissenting voices”.
Abdullahi said the ADC had previously written officially to
Musa Aliyu, ICPC chairman, requesting visitation rights to el-Rufai, in light
of growing public concerns regarding his wellbeing and reports of repeated
restrictions on access to family members and medical personnel.
“Let it be clear: Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is not a fugitive.
He voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities,” the ADC publicity
secretary said.
“Under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
he is entitled to dignity, medical care, family access, and fair treatment
under the law.
“What we are witnessing increasingly appears to be
punishment by process, intimidation through isolation, and an attempt to break
the spirit of a leading opposition figure.”
He said the party would not stand by and watch one of its
leaders subjected to “this pattern of harassment and calculated humiliation”.
“The international community is watching. The world is
watching,” he said.
“We therefore demand that the ICPC immediately grant
unrestricted access to Mallam El-Rufai by his family, doctors, lawyers, and
leaders of his political party.”
He added that anything short of granting the request would
only reinforce public perception that state institutions are being weaponised
against opposition voices.
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