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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

ICPC defends El-Rufai detention as group hires US lobbyists

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, ICPC, defended its legal actions against former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
  • The ICPC stated its operations are strictly law-based and not politically motivated, despite El-Rufai's supporters hiring US lobbyists.
  • The commission emphasized it follows court orders for detention and prosecution, dismissing claims of political interference.

Nigeria's Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has asserted that its actions against former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai are legally sound and free from political influence. The commission's stance comes after El-Rufai's supporters engaged Vanguard Africa, a Washington D.C.-based advocacy firm, to campaign against alleged abuses of due process in Nigeria.

We are not moved. We operate within the confines of the law.

— John OdeyICPC spokesman John Odey stated the commission's lack of concern over international lobbying efforts.

ICPC spokesperson John Odey stated that the commission remains unfazed by the international lobbying efforts. "We are not moved. We operate within the confines of the law," he said, emphasizing that El-Rufai's current custody is by court order. Odey stressed that the ICPC is an anti-corruption law enforcement agency guided by its enabling Act, and its actions are impartial, regardless of an individual's status.

We operate within the confines of the law and will continue to carry out our functions within the confines of the law.

— John OdeyICPC spokesman John Odey reiterated the commission's adherence to legal procedures.

Odey refuted any suggestions of political motivation behind the prosecution. "The ICPC is not political. It has never been and never will be," he declared. He explained that the agency charges individuals based on infractions of the law, irrespective of whether they are government clerks, private contractors, or political figures. The commission, he insisted, does not engage in political prosecutions or have affiliations with any political party.

He is in our custody by court remand. So, we don’t have any issues with that. It’s a free world, it’s a free society, but people must operate within the confines of the law.

— John OdeyICPC spokesman John Odey explained the legal basis for El-Rufai's detention.

The El-Rufai Support Group Association announced its engagement of Vanguard Africa to coordinate outreach to U.S. administration officials, Congress, and other stakeholders. This campaign aims to highlight concerns about the rule of law and due process in Nigeria, focusing on El-Rufai's case, whom the association describes as a reformer.

No, we are not political. The ICPC is not political. It has never been and never will be.

— John OdeyICPC spokesman John Odey dismissed claims that the agency is being used for political purposes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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