El-Rufai’s wives and Obi call for fair bail and medical access amid ICPC case

Asiya el-Rufai: My husband’s detention political, bail conditions difficult to meet

Asiya el-Rufai, one of the wives of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, says some political moves are being orchestrated to keep her husband in detention.   Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Asiya said the bail conditions imposed on the ex-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister are not “viable”.   El-Rufai’s wife recounted some of the difficulties the family is facing in an effort to meet the conditions set by the federal high courts in Kaduna and Abuja.   She said one of the bail conditions at the federal high court in Kaduna requires an attestation letter from the Kaduna traditional council.     She added that the council refused to issue an attestation letter without stating why.   “Mallam has been accused of offences in different courts. These charges are clearly bailable offences under Nigerian law. He has applied for bail several times,” she said.   “In the federal high court, he was granted bail with terms that are not viable. In federal high court in Kaduna, Justice Aikawa granted bail for two sureties — N200 million each with property worth N200 million in GRA Kaduna.     “He also said that the traditional council in Kaduna state must give attestation. Efforts to get this became impossible. The traditional council would not give that attestation. They gave no reason directly. They just said they are unable to do it.   “When you want to post a bail, you have to do property verification and submit the original certificate. Before you submit your original certificate, you need to go to the land registry and verify it.   “The land registry in Kaduna was shut down at that period. We were stuck in the mud. Every effort to get that became impossible.”   On the bail application granted at the federal high court in Abuja, Aisha said some of the terms for the civil servant surety were impossible to meet as the surety was required to provide property in the Asokoro or Maitama areas of the country’s capital city.     She added that even if any civil servant has the property and the assets to meet the bail conditions, nobody wants to put themselves forward on account of the scrutiny that would follow.   “I don’t want to speculate but as a Nigerian and human beings, I don’t think it is wrong if I say that there must be some politics going on,” she added.   She said el-Rufai returned to Nigeria to honour invitations from law enforcement agencies, adding that if he had intended to evade trial, he would have remained abroad.   The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is prosecuting el-Rufai on separate criminal charges before the Kaduna high court and the federal high court in Kaduna.     The Department of State Services (DSS) is also prosecuting the former governor before the federal high court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.

3 hours ago

I was moved by Asiya el-Rufai’s emotional appeal, justice must be transparent — Peter Obi

 Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says he was moved by the tears of Asiya el-Rufai, one of the wives of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna.   On Tuesday, el-Rufai’s wives held a press conference in Abuja to appeal to President Bola Tinubu over the former governor’s ordeal in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).   During the briefing, Asiya said the family was not asking President Bola Tinubu to interfere with the judicial process or halt the prosecution of her husband.   She said the family was only seeking the constitutional rights guaranteed to every Nigerian, including access to medical care, family members, lawyers and bail on reasonable terms.     Addressing the president directly, an emotional Asiya recalled the role she and her husband played in Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign.   ‘BAIL CONDITIONS SHOULDN’T BE PUNITIVE BEFORE TRIAL’   In a statement issued on Wednesday, Obi said regardless of the alleged offences against el-Rufai, “justice must be transparent and fair, with reasonable bail conditions that should not be seen as punitive before trial”.     The former Anambra governor said institutions exist to protect the rights of citizens under democratic rule.   “I woke this morning in America and was deeply moved by an emotional viral video of Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, prompting deep reflection on our nation’s future,” he said.   “We must resist any hint of selective justice that erodes public trust and threatens national unity. Those tasked with enforcing our laws must act professionally and strictly follow due process.   “Let us strive for a Nigeria where the law is paramount, and where every citizen is guaranteed dignity and justice. This is the foundation of the New Nigeria we envisage.”     On Tuesday, ICPC arrested Bello Abubakar, el-Rufai’s personal physician, for allegedly making false statements after his visit to the former governor.   The commission alleged that el-Rufai and Abubakar abused their privileges and violated a court order governing the medical consultation.   The ICPC is prosecuting el-Rufai on separate criminal charges before the Kaduna high court and the federal high court in Kaduna.   On July 2, the Kaduna high court d dismissed a bail application filed by el-Rufai in the ongoing trial over the nine-count charge filed against him by the ICPC.     In April, the federal high court in Kaduna granted the former governor bail in the sum of N200 million.  

16 hours ago

Please free our husband, we campaigned for you, El-Rufai’s wives beg Tinubu

 The wives of Nasir el-Rufai, ex-Kaduna governor, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to end their “family’s ordeal”.   Asiya, one of el-Rufai’s wives, spoke on the family’s behalf on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to the arrest of Bello Abubakar, the ex-minister’s personal physician, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).   In a statement on Tuesday, Okor Odey, ICPC spokesperson, alleged that el-Rufai and Bello abused privileges and violated a court order regarding his medical consultation.   ‘WE CAMPAIGNED FOR YOU’Speaking to journalists and flanked by another wife of the former minister, Aichatou, Asiya said the family is not asking Tinubu to interfere with the judicial process or halt the prosecution of their husband.   She said they are only seeking the constitutional rights guaranteed to every Nigerian, including access to medical care, family members, lawyers and bail on reasonable terms.   Addressing the president directly, Asiya recalled the role she and her husband played during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign.     “Mr. President sir, I campaigned for you. I stood up and went to every nook and cranny of Kaduna state for you. My husband stood by your side. Is this what our family deserves?” she asked.   She urged Tinubu to intervene, saying the decision ultimately rests with him.   “The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father and we know you can empathise,” she said.   Asiya insisted that the family is not asking for preferential treatment.     “Please let him go free. I am not asking you to tell them not to prosecute him, but we are asking you to allow him the basic human rights that the constitution you swore to uphold and defend guarantees,” she said.   “Let them give him the bail that he can afford. If he is guilty, let the court decide; if he is innocent, let the court decide.”   ‘WE LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR’   Asiya alleged that el-Rufai, who she said has high blood pressure and spike in blood sugar levels, has been denied access to adequate medical care.   She said the continued detention of the former governor and restrictions on access to his doctors and relatives have left the family traumatised.   “We, the family, are traumatised. We live in constant fear that we will wake up and hear some bad news,” she said.   “I honestly think that what they are doing is more about psychological warfare against Mallam and against his family.   “If they humiliate us, dehumanise us and put us in constant fear, they feel that affects Mallam.”   Asiya also questioned the alleged decision to deny el-Rufai access to his doctor.   “We were told that orders from ‘above’ said Professor Bello Abubakar cannot have access to anybody for 24 hours. Who is the ‘above’?” she queried.     ‘WE WANT A FAIR TRIAL’ The family also alleged that visits from relatives have become increasingly restricted.   The women expressed concern over a medical report purportedly issued by the National Hospital Abuja, saying the document and the circumstances surrounding its issuance should be investigated through the consultant whose name appeared on it.   According to the family, the restrictions have made it difficult for the former governor to prepare his defence.   “We do not shy away from defending ourselves, but we want a fair trial. We want an opportunity to be heard,” Asiya said.   “Mallam cannot adequately prepare for his defence while he remains in custody and has limited access to his lawyers.”   She appealed that el-Rufai be granted bail on conditions he can reasonably meet pending the conclusion of his trial.   “We are only asking that he be given the basic human rights guaranteed by the constitution. Let him be granted bail on reasonable terms. If he is guilty, let the court decide. If he is innocent, let the court also decide,” she added.

1 day ago