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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

ADC slams ICPC over El-Rufai doctor’s arrest, alleges wife assaulted

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticized the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for arresting Nasir El-Rufai's physician and allegedly assaulting his wife.
  • The ADC accused the ICPC of denying the former Kaduna governor medical care and violating his rights, calling him a political prisoner of President Bola Tinubu.
  • The party demanded explanations from the ICPC regarding the alleged denial of access and assaults, holding President Tinubu responsible for the actions of anti-corruption agencies.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the arrest of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai's personal physician and the alleged assault of El-Rufai's wife. The party accused the ICPC of denying El-Rufai access to essential medical care while he was at the National Hospital in Abuja, despite doctors recommending his admission due to his health condition.

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.

— African Democratic CongressThe ADC's statement criticizing the ICPC's actions and President Tinubu's alleged role.

In a statement, the ADC claimed that ICPC officials insisted on returning El-Rufai to custody against medical advice. Protests by his wife and physician reportedly led to a confrontation, during which El-Rufai's wife was allegedly assaulted and the physician subsequently arrested. The ADC characterized these actions as political persecution rather than law enforcement.

No democratic government that claims to respect the rule of law should deny a detainee access to medical care or prevent close family members from seeing him in flagrant disobedience of the courts, which granted him unfettered access to his lawyers, physician and family members.

— African Democratic CongressThe ADC's statement highlighting the alleged violation of El-Rufai's rights and court orders.

"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 party stated. The ADC argued that such conduct, including denying a detainee medical care and preventing family access in defiance of court orders, is characteristic of authoritarian regimes. The party emphasized that the situation extends beyond El-Rufai's personal case, impacting the protection of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.

Such conduct belongs to authoritarian regimes that use state institutions to break political opponents rather than to uphold justice.

— African Democratic CongressThe ADC's characterization of the ICPC's alleged actions.

The ADC has called for immediate explanations from the ICPC regarding the denial of access to El-Rufai's family and physician, the alleged assaults, and the legal basis for these actions. The party holds President Tinubu ultimately responsible for the alleged use of anti-corruption agencies for political intimidation.

The ICPC owes Nigerians immediate explanations. On whose authority was access to his family denied? Why has access to his doctor been refused despite concerns about his health? What legal basis exists for these actions? Why were El-Rufai’s wife and doctor assaulted by the ICPC operatives?

— African Democratic CongressThe ADC's demands for accountability from the ICPC.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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