El-Rufai Denies Violating Court Order During Medical Visit

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has refuted allegations that he abused a court-approved medical visit while in custody, asserting that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has misrepresented the facts and the law.

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It was against this background, an unresolved medical need, a documented denial of access to his physician the week before, and Malam El-Rufai’s continuing ill health, that the scheduled trip to Kaduna on 6th July became untenable. He did not travel that day for that reason.

In a statement released Wednesday, El-Rufai's media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, described the ICPC's July 7 statement as inaccurate. He explained that El-Rufai's absence from a court hearing on July 6 stemmed from an unresolved medical condition that had been communicated to the ICPC. According to the statement, El-Rufai's personal physician was allegedly prevented from examining him at the ICPC facility for over two hours.

The former governor's camp further stated that El-Rufai's family had requested he be taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for a consultation on July 7, a request that predated the notification of the July 6 court appearance. "It was against this background, an unresolved medical need, a documented denial of access to his physician the week before, and Malam El-Rufai’s continuing ill health, that the scheduled trip to Kaduna on 6th July became untenable," the statement read.

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The suggestion that he had ‘no immediate medical complaints’ on 6th July, or that the request to see his doctor was devised to avoid court, is accordingly untrue.

Adekeye also contested the ICPC's claim that El-Rufai had no immediate medical complaints, calling the narrative false. He argued that the sole applicable court order, issued April 1, 2026, by Justice R.M. Aikawa, guarantees El-Rufai's access to medical care but does not restrict who he can see during that access. The statement also criticized the ICPC's handling of the hospital visit, alleging the commission changed the appointment time and was present throughout the examination.

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It was the Commission that moved the appointment from a quiet 5:00pm slot to a high-traffic 10:00am slot… and it was the Commission’s own personnel who were stationed at the scene throughout.