The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has decried restricted access to Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) detention facility in Abuja.
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 19 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
In a statement, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said a delegation of the party led by Rauf Aregbesola, national secretary, and Salihu Lukman, secretary of the policy and manifesto committee, was also prevented from seeing el-Rufai on Friday.
The party alleged that while its officials waited for approval, there was a sudden heavy deployment of armed police officers around the ICPC premises, creating tension and concern.
It described the development as troubling, insisting that the visit was peaceful and intended to check on the wellbeing of its detained member.
“Despite prior communication and formal requests, we were denied access without any reasonable explanation,” the statement reads.
“While we were at the premises awaiting a response to our request, the atmosphere suddenly became noticeably tense after no fewer than three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility.”
Abdullahi noted that the “heavy deployment of policemen”, created the false impression that opposition leaders’ presence at the commission could trigger public outrage.
He expressed deep concerns that “a simple request by senior party officials to visit a detained colleague was met, not with professionalism, but with a show of force more suited to the suppression of civil unrest.”
“At no point did members of our delegation threaten disorder, incite confrontation, or mobilise supporters to the premises,” Abdullahi said.
“Yet the response of the state suggested panic, fear, and an attempt to intimidate not only our party leaders, but also any Nigerian who may dare to question the treatment being meted out to opposition figures.”
