El-Rufai’s family accuses ICPC of denying him food, medical access

The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of denying him access to food and medical care in detention.

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The allegation was contained in a statement issued by his son, Mohammed El-Rufai, who described the development as “an outright assault on the rule of law” and a violation of the former governor’s constitutional rights. Mohammed is a member of the House of Representatives.

According to the lawmaker, two incidents occurred on Thursday at the ICPC headquarters involving El-Rufai’s doctor and wife.

He said the former governor’s personal doctor visited the anti-graft agency around 3 p.m. to discuss the outcome of recent medical tests conducted on him, but was denied access by officials.

The family alleged that ICPC operatives insisted that a written approval from the commission’s chairman was required before the doctor could see Mr El-Rufai, despite a subsisting court order granting him unrestricted access to his medical team.

Wife allegedly denied access to deliver food

The statement further claimed that Mr El-Rufai’s wife, Aichatou, arrived at the commission’s office around 7 p.m. on Friday with his evening meal but was also turned back by security personnel.

According to the family, officials told her they had been directed not to allow food deliveries after 6:30 p.m.

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In a video shared on social media and seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs El-Rufai is standing outside the ICPC office, holding a flask of food, while speaking to the camera.

“I am here since 7 p.m. and the security at the ICPC denied me access to my husband,” she said in the video.

“Here is his food. They said they have been ordered not to allow me access to the building.”

Mohammed El-Rufai said the restriction was arbitrary and unjustifiable, insisting that no lawful detention permits the denial of medical care or family access.

“These acts are an outright assault on the rule of law and a clear violation of our father’s constitutional and human rights,” he said.

“We demand that all his constitutional rights be fully respected. We will no longer accept this pattern of intimidation dressed up as protocol.”

Background to El-Rufai’s arrest and detention

Mr El-Rufai was arrested by ICPC operatives as part of an investigation into alleged financial improprieties and abuse of office linked to contracts and public expenditure during his tenure as Kaduna governor between 2015 and 2023.

The anti-corruption agency subsequently obtained a remand order keeping him in custody pending the conclusion of the investigations.

His arrest has continued to generate political and legal controversy, with supporters describing the move as politically motivated, while critics insist the former governor should answer questions relating to his administration’s handling of state finances.

Since his detention, his family and associates have repeatedly raised concerns over his health condition and treatment in custody.

The Federal High Court had reportedly ordered that Mr El-Rufai be granted access to his doctors and legal team while in detention.

ICPC yet to respond

Efforts to get an official response from the ICPC were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Calls to the commission’s publicly available contact numbers went unanswered, while no official statement had been issued regarding the allegations by the El-Rufai family.