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By: Abdullahi Inuwa
Tension has continued to mount over the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as advocacy platform El-Rufai Live accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of violating a subsisting court order and subjecting the former governor to what it described as “punitive restrictions.”
In a strongly worded press release issued on Saturday, the group alleged that officials of the anti-graft agency blocked El-Rufai’s personal physician from accessing him on May 15, despite a court directive granting him unrestricted medical access.
According to the statement signed by the Executive Director of El-Rufai Live, Dr. Yazid Lawal Ahmed, the doctor was reportedly prevented from reviewing the former governor’s medical test results while in custody.
The group further claimed that El-Rufai’s wife was denied entry into the detention facility when she attempted to deliver his evening meal, allegedly because of a restriction barring food deliveries after 6:30 p.m.
Describing the actions as “a direct violation of a court order,” El-Rufai Live argued that the restrictions undermine the former governor’s constitutional rights to medical care and family support.
The development has added a fresh layer of controversy to the ongoing legal and political storm surrounding the former Kaduna governor, with his supporters accusing security agencies of using state power to intimidate and isolate him.
The group also raised concerns over what it termed “credible reports” suggesting plans to transfer El-Rufai from ICPC custody to the Department of State Services (DSS).
It warned that any attempt to move him between security agencies after he had already been arraigned before competent courts would amount to an abuse of judicial process and an attempt to prolong detention outside the law.
“El-Rufai has already been brought before the courts. Any further transfer outside established legal procedures would be deeply troubling and contrary to the rule of law,” the statement noted.
In another alarming claim, El-Rufai Live alleged that there were plans to raid the private residences of the former governor’s wives, describing such a move as “secondary victimisation” targeted at innocent family members.
The advocacy group demanded immediate compliance with the court order granting El-Rufai unrestricted access to his doctors and family, while also calling for an end to any alleged plans to transfer him to another security agency.
It also urged authorities to refrain from carrying out raids or acts of harassment against his family members and insisted that the former governor be treated “with dignity and respect in accordance with the law.”
The group appealed to international human rights bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the United Nations Human Rights Council, to closely monitor the situation.
“We call on the international community to urge Nigerian authorities to uphold the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights,” the statement added.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official response to the allegations contained in the statement.
The unfolding dispute is expected to intensify public debate over the treatment of high-profile detainees, judicial compliance by security agencies, and the broader implications for civil liberties and due process in Nigeria.
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