El-Rufai denies violating court order in ICPC medical visit dispute
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has pushed back against allegations from Nigeria's anti-corruption watchdog, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), that he abused a court-approved medical visit while in custody. His media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, issued a statement Wednesday calling the ICPC's July 7 claims inaccurate and demanding a retraction.
What triggered the dispute?
The ICPC alleged that El-Rufai violated a court order by using a medical appointment to stage a political meeting instead of attending a court hearing on July 6. But El-Rufai's camp says the former governor's absence from court was due to an unresolved medical condition that had been flagged to the ICPC before the hearing.
According to the statement, El-Rufai's personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, tried to examine him at the ICPC facility on July 5 but was denied access for over two hours. The family then formally requested a consultation at the National Hospital in Abuja on July 7, a request that predated the court appearance notice.
Was the court order violated?
Adekeye argued that the only applicable court order, issued April 1, 2026 by Justice R.M. Aikawa, guarantees El-Rufai's access to medical care while in custody. It does not, he said, restrict who can see him during that access. The statement insisted that no order was breached during the hospital visit.
What about the political gathering claim?
The ICPC described the hospital visit as a political gathering, but El-Rufai's camp disputed this. They noted that the ICPC itself moved the appointment from a quiet 5 p.m. slot to a busy 10 a.m. slot without notifying the family until the morning of the visit. ICPC personnel were present throughout, the statement added.
Why was the physician arrested?
El-Rufai's camp also condemned the arrest of Professor Bello Abubakar, demanding the ICPC disclose the specific allegation against him. They called for his immediate and unconditional release, arguing that access to medical care is a legal right, not a privilege, citing the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
What does El-Rufai want now?
The former governor's team called on the ICPC to withdraw its allegation that he violated a court order. They warned that any attempt to restrict his access to medical care, family, or legal counsel would amount to contempt of court. The statement concluded that the sequence of events does not support the inference that the medical visit was used for a political meeting.