Breaking: New Development as ICPC denies El-Rufai Bail
- Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has reportedly been denied a bail application by the ICPC, as a media aide gave an updated development on the matter
- The legal team of the former governor was said to have applied for bail for the former governor, but the anti-graft agency reportedly did not respond to the letter
- The continued detainment of El-Rufai has continued to raise concerns among the legal team and the family of the former governor
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, has yet to be granted bail by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission (ICPC). This is as he spent eight days in detention, which raised concerns among his family and legal team.
Muyiwa Adekeye, the media adviser to the former governor, disclosed the development in a statement on Monday, February 23. He explained that the ex-governor had been in custody since he first voluntarily reported to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, following an invitation.
Source: Twitter
When did ICPC arrest Nasir El-Rufai?
Adekeye explained that the former governor was held in the custody of the EFCC until February 18, when he was transferred to the custody of the ICPC.
The media aide further explained that El-Rufai's lawyers had submitted a bail application to the anti-graft agency, but there was no response from the commission.
Also, he stressed that the legal team has not been shown any court order that authorised the continued detention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, even though the constitution only gave room for a 48-hour period to hold a person without charge.
Meanwhile, Oladotun Hassan, a lawyer, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, explained that the former governor was not being witch-hunted as perceived by some people but facing the consequences of his confession. He said:
"Whatever he is facing now is not a dilemma as if he's being witch-hunted. He's facing a dilemma of his own making, of what he did to himself. It's just like you are making a confessional statement and you expect to be absolved."
Nigerians react as ICPC denies El-Rufai's bail
Meanwhile, the statement, which was shared on social media, has started getting responses from Nigerians and supporters of the former governor. Below are some of their reactions:
Peace Maker said:
"El-Rufai brought 50x votes Ribadu brought to the election of Tinubu. That is the political mistake. Socially, constitutionally APC government is on the negative side. This fight will not stop, and Tinubu will lose."
Source: Twitter
Fearless alleged that El-Rufai was wicked when he was in power:
"This is unfair to El Rufai, but the El Rufai we know is even more wicked than this when he was in power. Ask his various victims."
Araba Kpura called for the probe of all former leaders:
"What Nigerian people should insist on is to have every former official at the highest levels account for their stewardships. That's the only way people like me will reckon Nigeria as a serious country, and not a huge mental asylum"
Ajayi Olalekan alleged that the former governor is guilty:
"He put himself in this mess. You are tapping people's phone conversations, and he may likely be feeding it to enemies of the state. He thought he was bigger than the government."
You can read more comments on the update on X here:
Court fixes date for El-Rufai's suit
Legit.ng earlier reported that former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, would be appearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, February 25.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the trial court announced the date after the case was assigned to her by the chief judge, Justice John Tsoho.
On Monday, February 16, the secret police filed a three-count criminal charge against the former governor after his alleged participation in the wiretapping of the telephone line of Nuhu Ribadu, the NSA.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
