ADC: El-Rufai denied medical care, doctor arrested
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday said that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was denied access to medical care by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said El-Rufai was taken to the National Hospital, […]
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday said that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was denied access to medical care by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said El-Rufai was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for medical attention but was returned to custody despite doctors allegedly recommending that he be admitted.
According to the ADC, protests by El-Rufai’s wife and personal physician led to a confrontation during which his wife was assaulted and the doctor arrested.
“The world should know today that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is holding a political prisoner in Nigeria by the name of Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai,” the statement said.
The opposition party described the alleged actions of the anti-corruption agency as “an assault on the Constitution, human dignity and the most basic principles of justice and human rights.”
It further accused the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of using law enforcement agencies to persecute political opponents.
“It is no longer about Mallam El-Rufai alone. It is about whether Nigeria remains a constitutional democracy or has descended into a republic where law enforcement agencies have become instruments of political persecution,” the party said.
The ADC called on the ICPC to explain why El-Rufai was allegedly denied access to his family and doctor despite what it described as concerns over his health.
The party also questioned the legal basis for the alleged restrictions imposed on the former governor and demanded an explanation for the alleged assault on his wife and arrest of his physician.
Among its demands, the ADC called for immediate and unrestricted access for El-Rufai to his family, legal team and personal medical practitioners, a review of his bail conditions, improved conditions of detention, full compliance with constitutional guarantees for detainees, and greater transparency from the ICPC regarding the restrictions placed on him.