Senior leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were denied access to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai at the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) in Abuja.
The party, in a statement on Friday, alleged that instead of granting access to see him, the ICPC deployed three truckloads of armed police officers to fortify the facility.
ADC revealed that the delegation sent to visit Mallam El-Rufai in the ICPC custody included the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeshola, and the Secretary of the party’s Policy and Manifesto Committee, Mallam Salihu Lukman.
The party also disclosed that formal and prior requests for visitation had been made to the ICPC, but were nonetheless turned away without explanation.
“Despite prior communication and formal requests, we were denied access without any reasonable explanation,” the party said in the statement.
ADC said the situation escalated further when, while the delegation waited in the premises, the heavily armed police officers arrived in three trucks.
It described the deployment as “entirely unnecessary and disproportionate to the peaceful presence of unarmed political leaders,” creating an impression that the authorities feared the opposition leaders’ presence could trigger public unrest.
“At no point did members of our delegation threaten disorder, incite confrontation, or mobilise supporters to the premises,” the party said, adding that ICPC response “suggested panic, fear, and an attempt to intimidate.”
ADC said its National Secretary of the ADC had previously written officially to the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, requesting visitation rights to Mallam El-Rufai, especially in light of growing public concerns regarding his wellbeing and reports that he has faced repeated restrictions on access to family members and medical personnel.
“Only days ago, Hajiya Asia El-Rufai publicly alleged that her husband was denied access to his doctor and that she was prevented from delivering food to him while in custody after arriving at the facility in the evening. Members of his family have similarly raised concerns that even court-ordered medical access was being frustrated through administrative obstruction and arbitrary protocols.
“While the ICPC has publicly denied these allegations and insisted that access protocols were followed, the continued refusal to allow leaders of his political party to see him only deepens suspicion and raises further questions about the true nature of his detention,” the party said.
While stating that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is not a fugitive, as he voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities, ADC noted that under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is entitled to dignity, medical care, family access, and fair treatment under the law.
“What we are witnessing increasingly appears to be punishment by process, intimidation through isolation, and an attempt to break the spirit of a leading opposition figure.
“The ADC will not stand by and watch one of its leaders subjected to this pattern of harassment and calculated humiliation. Nigeria is watching. The international community is watching. The world is watching,” it said.
The party therefore demanded that the ICPC immediately grant unrestricted access to Mallam El-Rufai by his family, doctors, lawyers, and leaders of his political party.
“Anything short of this will only reinforce public perception that state institutions are being weaponised against opposition voices,” it added.
