ADC accuses ICPC of blocking El-Rufai’s medical treatment, assaulting wife, arresting doctor
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission of preventing former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai from receiving medical treatment.
According to the party, the operatives assaulted El-Rufai’s wife and arrested his personal physician during an incident at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The opposition party also alleged that the commission ignored medical advice recommending El-Rufai’s hospitalisation and instead returned him to custody, describing the development as a violation of his constitutional rights and an abuse of state power.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports surrounding the treatment of the former governor.
According to the party, El-Rufai had been scheduled for medical treatment at the National Hospital in Abuja, where doctors reportedly advised that he should be admitted because of his deteriorating health.
The statement claimed that despite the recommendation, ICPC officials insisted on taking him back into custody.
The party further alleged that protests by El-Rufai’s wife and his personal physician over the decision resulted in a confrontation during which his wife was physically assaulted while the doctor was arrested.
“The actions of the ICPC and the Tinubu government have for months now gone beyond the realm of law enforcement,” the statement read.
ADC argued that the handling of El-Rufai’s detention amounted to an attack on constitutional democracy, human dignity and the rule of law.
“The world should know today that President Bola Tinubu is holding a political prisoner in Nigeria by the name of Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai,” the party alleged.
It further contended that no democratic government should deny a detainee access to medical care or prevent family members from seeing him, especially where courts had granted unrestricted access to his lawyers, physician and relatives.
According to the party, such actions belong to authoritarian governments that use security and anti-corruption institutions to suppress political opponents rather than uphold justice.
The ADC said the matter extended beyond El-Rufai’s personal circumstances, warning that the treatment of the former governor raised broader concerns about constitutional governance and the protection of fundamental rights in Nigeria.
The party also demanded explanations from the ICPC, asking under whose authority access to El-Rufai’s family was denied, why his doctor was allegedly prevented from attending to him despite concerns over his health, and the legal basis for the restrictions imposed on him.
It further questioned the alleged assault on El-Rufai’s wife and the arrest of his physician.
The ADC also accused President Bola Tinubu of allowing anti-corruption agencies to be used for political persecution, insisting that responsibility ultimately rests with the President.
The party demanded immediate and unrestricted access for El-Rufai to his family, lawyers and personal medical practitioners, a review of what it described as punitive bail conditions, an end to the conditions of his detention, full compliance with constitutional guarantees governing persons in custody, and greater transparency from the ICPC over every restriction imposed on him.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not responded to the allegations contained in the ADC statement.
