Sanusi Breaks Silence on El-Rufai’s Prolonged Detention, "We Are Not Going to Get Anywhere"
- Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II raised concerns about political influence on Nigeria's anti-corruption proceedings during a Lagos event
- Sanusi alleged that some corruption charges had been dropped because suspects belonged to the right political circles
- The emir cited the case of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, who has remained in detention for seven months without conviction
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Kaduna, Kaduna State - Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II has raised serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria's anti-corruption campaign, alleging that political connections can shield suspects from prosecution while others remain detained without conviction.
As reported by The Cable, Sanusi spoke on Monday, September 28, during an interview with Channels Television on the sidelines of the Lagos launch of 'The Unexplained Wealth Trilogy', a book by senior advocate Wahab Shittu.
Source: Twitter
Laws alone aren't enough, says Sanusi
The emir argued that passing anti-corruption legislation is only part of the solution, and that the institutions responsible for enforcing it matter just as much.
He said, according to Leadership Newspaper:
"The laws are one thing. Even the existing laws we have need to be implemented better. You have institutions that are supposed to identify corrupt people and prosecute them. You have courts that are supposed to do it."
Sanusi alleged that some suspects have walked free simply because of their political affiliations.
"We have seen in this country people who are facing corruption charges who basically just get those charges dropped because they belong to the right political environment or have the right political support," he said.
He added that the selective application of the law had led many Nigerians to question whether the anti-corruption drive is genuine.
"We have legal processes where people are questioning if, in fact, it is a fight against corruption or political persecution," he said.
Sanusi questions Nigeria's anti-corruption fight
Sanusi pointed to the ongoing detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who faces corruption and money laundering-related charges, as a case that has fuelled public doubt.
"An example is my brother, Nasir El-Rufai, who's been denied bail. He's been in detention for seven months, not having been convicted for anything, using the courts," he said.
He said such circumstances push ordinary Nigerians to ask deeper questions.
"So people begin to wonder, is this really a fight against corruption, or is it a political battle?" he asked.
The emir called on both politicians and the judiciary to apply the law as it was intended.
"Now, until the politicians and those who control political office and the judiciary decide that they are going to use these laws for the purpose for which they are set up, we're not going to get anywhere," he said.
Source: Twitter
Sanusi also warned that weak enforcement creates an environment where wrongdoing goes unpunished.
"Otherwise, anyone knows that you can get away with anything if you have the right political connections," he said.
El-Rufai's legal battle continues, and the former minister has said the experience has changed his perspective on some of his relationships, particularly after a number of friends and associates went silent during his ordeal.
Watch Emir Sanusi's video on El-Rufai below via the X post:
Read more on El-Rufai
- "Let me not say this": APC reacts to El-Rufai’s absence from NEC meeting in Abuja
- Northern group carpets El-Rufai over attacks on Tinubu, Ribadu: “You have no moral right”
2027 election: Source shares El-Rufai's plan
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a source in the opposition privy to the ongoing developments confirmed that El-Rufai was not contesting any elective position in the 2027 election.
The source said El-Rufai was only focused on mobilising against President Bola Tinubu's second-term agenda.
One prominent associate of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who contested the 2023 presidential election but lost to Tinubu, and now relating with El-Rufai, divulged that the ex-Kaduna governor is focused on sending Tinubu and his people back to Lagos.
Source: Legit.ng
