From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has raised alarm over what he described as “malicious orchestrations” directed against him, accusing unnamed actors of attempting to frame him and secure his indefinite detention through false publications.
In a press release issued on 19 April 2026 by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said an “unwarranted effort” to arrest him upon his arrival at Abuja Airport from Cairo on 12 February 2026 served as a clear signal of more troubling developments to follow.
According to Adekeye, the former governor honoured an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 16 February 2026. He was detained and later transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the night of 18 February. He remains in detention and has been arraigned in two separate high courts.
The statement specifically faulted an 18 April 2026 report by a national newspaper headlined “El-Rufai’s trial: Gunmen invade principal witness home.”
The article reported that Mohammed Umar Karage, a witness in the criminal proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court, told police that armed individuals had invaded his residence.
“While it is the civic duty of every citizen to report crimes to the authorities, it is an entirely different matter to publish false imputations against others,” Adekeye said.
He added that the publication “proceeded to do precisely that by including innuendos suggestive of a plot to frame Malam Nasir El-Rufai.”
Adekeye said the report quoted Mr. Karage as linking the incident to his role as a witness in the corruption charges against El-Rufai, specifically one of nine counts involving the alleged unlawful revocation and reallocation of land.
He added that the article further quoted Karage as alleging that the invasion might be part of an effort to silence him, drawing parallels with the controversial disappearance of Kaduna-based activist Abubakar Idris Dadiyata.
“Any objective reader would recognise the clear intent behind these statements: to smear Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s reputation, jeopardise his pending bail application at the Kaduna State High Court, and implicate him in serious capital offences,” the statement read. “The evident objective is to secure his indefinite detention through these reprehensible tactics.”
Adekeye described such conduct as unacceptable, particularly toward a citizen who has made substantial contributions to the country. “Malam Nasir El-Rufai is an upstanding and law-abiding citizen who has no connection whatsoever to the incidents described in _The Nation_’s publication. Therefore, he has already instructed his legal team to initiate defamation proceedings in this matter,” he said.
The media adviser said El-Rufai has been subjected to “an appalling and sustained campaign of innuendos and vilification” since 2023.
He described the former governor as “a man with a distinguished record of public service,” recalling his “sterling service to the cause of national unity through his principled opposition to opportunism, alongside other senior leaders, during the events leading to the 2022 primaries of the ruling party and thereafter.”
“The rule of law must never be perverted into a tool of oppression. Legal processes should serve the ends of justice, not be employed to deny a citizen his fundamental right to liberty while he stands trial,” Adekeye stated.
He demanded that El-Rufai be accorded full due process guaranteed by law to every citizen, adding that “the persistent disregard for his rights must cease immediately.”
