News
El-Rufai’s wife seeks International Community’s intervention as former Governor spends 150 days in detention
…Says husband’s 150-day detention threatens Rule of Law
Asia Ahmad El-Rufai, a lawyer and wife of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has appealed to the international community to intervene over what she described as her husband’s prolonged detention.
She argued that his continued incarceration represents “punishment before trial” and poses a threat to Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
In a public statement issued to mark what she described as the 150th day of El-Rufai’s detention and published on the African Report, Asia said she was speaking “not as a politician, lawyer or diplomat, but as a wife, a mother and a Nigerian woman asking that the country my husband served for so many years remember its own conscience.”
Reflecting on the length of her husband’s detention, she wrote: “On the 150th day of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s detention, I ask readers outside Nigeria to pause over what that number means. One hundred and fifty days is not a legal phrase. It is five months of missed meals, missed prayers, missed proper mourning of his deceased mother, missed family conversations, interrupted medical care and moments we can never recover.”
She acknowledged that her husband had long been a controversial political figure, having served as head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Governor of Kaduna State.
“My husband is no stranger to controversy or public scrutiny. He has spent more than two decades in public life – as head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, minister of the Federal Capital Territory and governor of Kaduna State. He has been praised, criticised, loved and opposed. That is democracy. But what is happening to him today is not democracy, and it is not accountability. It is punishment before trial,” she said.
Asia alleged that her husband’s ordeal began with “the attempted airport interception, when security officials seized his passport without a warrant and assaulted his aide in public view.”
According to her, El-Rufai voluntarily honoured an invitation from authorities after being summoned but was subsequently detained despite what she described as promises of bail.
“There was the sudden invitation, his voluntary appearance before the authorities, and the promise of bail that existed on paper but not in freedom. There was the night he was moved between locations without warning and without the dignity of allowing his family to know where he was being taken,” she stated.
She also claimed that the former governor became seriously ill while in custody.
“I still remember the helplessness of hearing that he had fallen gravely ill in custody, bleeding from his nose and mouth, while those responsible for his welfare were reluctant to provide the care any person deserves. I remember the anxiety of trying to get his medication to him and wondering whether officials would accept it.”
Describing the emotional toll on the family, she said: “These are not abstract violations. They are the moments that chip away at a family’s resolve and hope. Behind every headline about ‘charges’ and ‘investigations’, there is a family waiting, praying and trying not to imagine the worst.”
While insisting that no public official should be above the law, she argued that the legal process should be conducted fairly and transpaently.
“Let me be clear: I do not ask that my husband be placed above the law. No public official should be immune from scrutiny. If the state believes it has evidence, let it be presented before an impartial court, openly and fairly. But justice cannot be selective. It cannot be pursued through overlapping charges, repeated detention, impossible bail conditions, and public humiliation designed to persuade the nation of guilt before a judge has heard the case.”
She further argued that recent public discussions had raised concerns that Nigeria, alongside some other African countries, was “drifting from accountability into lawfare – the use of legal processes, judicial procedures and state institutions as political weapons.”
“The concern is not whether former officials may be investigated; they can and should be. The concern is whether the law is being applied neutrally or deployed against those who have fallen out of political favour,” she said.
According to Asia, her husband’s disagreement with President Bola Tinubu’s administration and his departure from the ruling All Progressives Congress should not justify what she described as prolonged persecution.
“My husband’s case has become a test of that distinction. His political rupture with President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his refusal to surrender his independent voice should not make him a target for indefinite punishment or detention disguised as prosecution.”
She also criticised what she described as the complexity of the legal proceedings against El-Rufai.
“The legal architecture surrounding him is bewildering even to trained observers: multiple charges in different courts, overlapping allegations, shifting statutory theories and duplicated claims arising from the same alleged events. If one application for bail is made and the conditions are met, another accusation can be filed the next day. If one judge must consider freedom, another process can be used to delay it.
“This is how judicial procedure becomes premeditated punishment. This is how we have arrived at 150 days of unjust detention.”
Asia argued that the treatment was not limited to her husband, citing the cases of Joel Adoga, Jimi Lawal and Professor Abubakar Bello.
She said Joel Adoga, whom she described as a former public servant and family breadwinner, had endured prolonged detention, including a month in solitary confinement, while Jimi Lawal had reportedly suffered severe health deterioration during custody.
She also referred to “the 7 July arrest and detention of Professor Abubakar Bello, Mallam’s personal physician, with similar impossible bail conditions.”
“These men are beloved family members and Nigerian citizens. These men are not case files. Their families are not collateral damage to be ignored in the pursuit of a political vendetta,” she said.
Appealing to Nigeria’s diplomatic and development partners, Asia urged foreign governments, multilateral organisations and international human rights groups not to ignore the situation.
“This is why I am appealing to Nigeria’s diplomatic and development partners: do not look away. Those who invest in Nigeria’s democracy, security cooperation, anti-corruption institutions, health systems and development programmes have a legitimate interest in whether those institutions respect due process and human dignity.”
She added: “A country cannot receive international support while using ostensibly democratic institutions to annihilate opposition political voices.”
She called on foreign missions, multilateral organisations, human rights groups and democracy advocates to “monitor this case closely; insist on transparent proceedings before competent and impartial courts; demand humane detention conditions and timely medical access; and make it clear that anti-corruption enforcement must never become a cover for political payback.”
Addressing President Tinubu directly, Asia urged him to allow the judicial process to proceed fairly.
“To President Tinubu, I say this with respect and sorrow: history is rarely kind to leaders who allow power to wound the innocent in order to silence the inconvenient. A strong government does not fear a strong critic.”
She added: “If my husband is credibly accused, let him face the accusations with access to his legal team, his doctors and his family. Let the evidence speak in court, not through orchestrated leaks of falsehood.”
Concluding her appeal, Asia argued that the case extends beyond her husband’s personal circumstances.
“Nigeria’s friends must understand that this case is larger than Nasir El-Rufai. It is about whether a citizen can fall out with power and still be protected by law. It is about whether courts will be places of justice or theatres of intimidation.”
She concluded by saying: “I do not ask the world to decide my husband’s innocence. I ask only that it stand for the principles Nigeria and its constitution have promised to uphold. Fairness, due process, humane treatment, judicial independence and equal protection before the law are not partisan demands. They are the bare conditions of any democratic society.”
• Victims were returning to Abuja after orientation in Bayelsa Camp
Fifteen National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been abducted by Armed Bandits in Kogi State while returning from their orientation camp in Bayelsa State.
The corps members were said to have been travelling from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State towards Abuja when they were intercepted along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday August 26, 2026.
A relative of one of the victims, who spoke on the incident on Thursday, confirmed that the corps members were taken while on their journey to the Federal Capital Territory.
The victims were said to be traveling in some vehicles including a Peace Mass Transit bus and a yellow Toyota bus marked 564.
A police officer from the Kogi State Police Command who obtained next-of-kin contacts from the passengers’ manifest contacted the victims’ families.
As of the time of reporting, details regarding the identities of the victims, possible ransom demands and ongoing rescue efforts remain unclear.
The reported incident has, however, renewed concerns over the safety of NYSC members traveling across different states of the country, particularly young Nigerians returning to their states after completing orientation camp activities.
NYSC’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, was contacted but couldn’t confirm the incident, while attempts to reach the Bayelsa coordinator were also unsuccessful.
Also, the Kogi state police command has yet to speak on the development though The Advocate learnt that it has launched an operation in conjunction with vigilante groups in the area to rescue the victims.
News
Benin–Asaba Road: Umahi unhappy with concession deal, says ‘We played into Concessionaire’s hands’
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has asked the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba road to immediately write to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to enable it to terminate their contract on account of what he observed as poor handling of the road.
The minister also ordered the concessionaire to urgently remove all the blockages on the Benin-Asaba road to allow free flow of traffic.
Umahi made the appeal and issued the directive on Wednesday in Benin at a stakeholders’ engagement in Government House, Benin.
He said, “We are therefore pleading with you to give us written approval to proceed in this manner, we believe this is the way forward.
“Therefore, our directive going forward is that you should be removed from the site of this project, within the limits of our rights. You have added no value to the project,” he said.
He stressed that the Federal Ministry of Works should write to the independent engineer to request measurements of all the works that have been carried out, excluding what we describe as negative work.
“When you remove asphalt contrary to the contract and contrary to the specifications, that is negative work.
“It will not be recognised as part of the value of work done. In fact, the cost of rectifying the damage must also be established.
“Now, we want to plead with you, as the clients acting in the interest of the public, we do not believe that you currently have the capacity to reinstate the road.
“We have not stopped you from working, but if you continue doing what you are currently doing, we are not convinced that you will be able to avert the potential for public disorder in that area,” he added.
The minister, while suggesting ways to remedy the current hardship caused by the concessionaire, directed that the affected sections should then be reconstructed under the supervision of the independent engineer.
He also directed that the concessionaire to provide a technical design for proper stormwater canalisation, adding that this is very important.
He further warned that it should restore all the asphalt, redirect any water that has been channelled onto the carriageway, and restore free flow of traffic along the carriageway.
The minister said BAECC lacked the technical capacity and competent manpower required to execute and complete the project within the stipulated timeframe and contractual specifications.
“I want the public to know that by the concession agreement, we played into the hands of the concessionaire,” Umahi said.
The minister directed that the concessionaire be removed from the project site within the limits of the government’s rights under the agreement.
“Therefore, our directive going forward is that you should be removed from the site of this project, within the limits of our rights. You have added no value to the project,” he said.
Umahi said the ministry would write to the Independent Engineer to obtain measurements of all work executed, excluding what he described as “negative work”.
He clarified that the ministry had not stopped BAECC from working, but said allowing the concessionaire to continue under the current circumstances could worsen the situation and create the potential for public disorder.
The minister said BAECC could alternatively allow the government to engage a competent contractor to complete the project, after which the concessionaire could be given the right of first refusal to re-toll the road and recoup its investment.
Also speaking, the Director of Highway Planning, Ministry of Works and Technical Lead, Project Delivery Team for the HDMI Project, Mr Ebere Izunobi, attributed some of the project’s challenges to BAECC’s failure to comply with instructions from supervising officials.
Izunobi also alleged that the concessionaire used unqualified staff and engineers and unsuitable materials in executing the project, contributing to the poor quality of work.
Sen. Allwell Onyesoh, a member of the Senate Committee on Works, said those responsible for introducing the concession arrangement to the country had not served Nigeria well.
“The concessionaires and whoever pushed for this concessionaire did not mean well for Nigeria, and this is a big lesson about concessionaires in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, not every concessionaire possesses the capacity required to execute projects of such magnitude.
Earlier, the BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Mr Samuel Daramola, appealed to the ministry to allow the company to continue with the project.
Daramola said the company had secured funds and upgraded its equipment and technical personnel, assuring that it could complete the project as scheduled.
“We don’t want to put money in the drain. We have upgraded our technical staff and we want the ministry to allow us to continue the project,” he said.
The Head of Legal and Compliance, BAECC, Mr Peterson Fabian, urged stakeholders to allow more time for further consultations on possible solutions.
“Every stakeholder here, do allow us to have more time to engage. I believe that we will have more pathways forward to further collaborate,” Fabian said.
Gov. Monday Okpebholo described the state of the Benin-Asaba road as a waste of resources, given the period already spent on the project.
“What we are seeing now is not what I should be seeing at this point after 16 months. Nothing has been done. To me, it is a total waste of resources,” Okpebholo said.
He urged the Minister of Works to take necessary action and find lasting solutions to the condition of the highway to ease the hardship experienced by motorists and other road users.
The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to provide evidence backing his allegation that some police officers at checkpoints collude with kidnappers and bandits.
The Force, in a statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said it had taken note of comments made by Otse at the recent Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan had alleged that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and relay information about their identities and movements to kidnappers, thereby facilitating their abduction for ransom.
Reacting, the police described the allegation as serious, unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to the institution.
The statement said, “The Nigeria Police Force firmly rejects these allegations as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to an institution entrusted with the protection of millions of Nigerians. Allegations of this gravity demand a corresponding standard of evidence, and that standard has not yet been met.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction.”
The force said any evidence presented by the activist would be treated with urgency and thoroughly investigated.
It urged members of the public with credible evidence of police misconduct to approach the appropriate authorities rather than relying solely on public allegations.
The police maintained that officers deployed to checkpoints nationwide were assigned to prevent crime, detect criminal activities and protect citizens, rather than facilitate kidnapping.
According to the statement, police personnel routinely confront criminal elements and have suffered attacks and casualties in the course of their duties.
The police said, “Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information. Police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets have equally been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.”
The force also said that where individual officers were found to have compromised their duties, they would face internal disciplinary measures and prosecution in accordance with the law.
It, however, cautioned against blanket accusations that could demoralise its personnel and undermine public trust in the institution.
“The sacrifices of our personnel and the integrity of the institution will not be casually diminished by unverified allegations. Anyone with credible evidence of misconduct should bring it forward through the appropriate channels for investigation in accordance with the law.
“The force calls on members of the public to exercise responsibility in making and sharing allegations concerning national security institutions and to distinguish between legitimate criticism, which strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims, which can endanger public trust and national security,” the police said.
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