Family members and associates of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have expressed concerns over his health and treatment in custody, alleging that security agencies are preventing him from accessing his personal physicians.…....
According to a report aired by Arise Television on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, relatives and associates of the former governor also described his ongoing trial as politically motivated.
An Arise News anchor stated that members of El-Rufai’s family feared his health condition could deteriorate if he continued to be denied access to medical care from his personal doctors.
“Family members and associates of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai are worried that his health may take a deep plunge if he’s not allowed to see his personal physicians,” the anchor said.
The report added that the family believed the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu was targeting opposition figures. “They also describe his trial as political, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is afraid of opposition,” the anchor added.
Arise News correspondent, Tunji Olanipekun, reported that family members and close associates of El-Rufai gathered near the office of the Department of State Services in Abuja after proceedings at the Federal High Court.
“After the incident at the Federal High Court, family members and close associates of Malam Nasir El-Rufai gathered just behind the DSS office in Abuja, deliberating on what next to do,” Olanipekun reported.
He stated that the former governor’s family appeared deeply worried about his wellbeing while in custody. “Family members left worried for the health of the former Kaduna State Governor,” he added.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, El-Rufai’s wife, Hasia Ahmed El-Rufai, accused the DSS of subjecting her husband and family to psychological pressure. “He has been denied doctors even though they are the ones who took him to the hospital. In the first instance, it is their own in-house doctor that recommended that he run a test,” she said.
“And then they took him to the hospital. I was there with him. After the hospital visit, we agreed that once the results are out, the doctors will come and talk to him about the result,” she added.
According to her, access to the doctor was later denied because officials claimed El-Rufai had not been informed about the visit. “He was denied access to the doctor because, in their own explanation, they said Malam was not aware that the doctor was coming,” she stated.
Hasia El-Rufai further alleged that the family had been prevented from seeing the former governor and had been subjected to repeated intimidation. “We are worried as a family. And they have told us point blank that no family member will see him again,” she said.
“This man will be taken to court in the morning from here to Kaduna at 5 a.m. He will appear in court and he will be brought back to Abuja. Then he will be taken back the next day again for another hearing and then he will be brought back,” she added.
Describing the emotional strain on the family, she said, “We don’t sleep. We don’t know. Every day we get a threat, DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house, you are being followed, our phones are tapped. What is this?”
She concluded by insisting that the courts should determine the matter. “If Malam has done something, let the court decide,” Hasia El-Rufai stated.
