Atiku tells FG to release El-rufai before Sallah, describes detention as ‘assault on rule of law’
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as a violation of civil liberties and the rule of law.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku urged the Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government to release El-Rufai ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
The former vice president said keeping El-Rufai in custody at a time Muslims are preparing for a major religious celebration was “cruel, unjustifiable and deeply troubling.”
Atiku warned against using state institutions to intimidate political opponents, saying democracy should not be used as a tool for settling political scores or suppressing dissent.
“At a time when millions of Muslims across Nigeria and around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir — a sacred season of sacrifice, compassion, forgiveness and family reunion — it would be unconscionable for any government to weaponise state power in a manner that denies a citizen his liberty without just cause,” he said.
He added that El-Rufai, regardless of political differences, remained entitled to the constitutional rights of dignity, liberty and due process.
Atiku also called on authorities to be transparent if the former governor was being held through a legitimate legal process, insisting that selective justice weakens public confidence in democracy and the rule of law.
El-Rufai and his co-defendant, Joel Adoga, are facing a 10-count charge before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, over alleged money laundering, conversion and possession of proceeds of corruption under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
