Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s lawyer has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of spreading unverified allegations that connect their client to properties worth billions of naira in Egypt, describing the claims as part of a politically driven campaign.
Counsel Ubong Esop Akpan said in a statement released in Abuja on Monday that the accusations lacked substantiation and were based on anonymous “leaks.”
The attorney contended that the allegations were being spread to support what he called the former governor’s illegal incarceration.
The counsel described the ICPC claim as “a fabricated narrative, devoid of verifiable evidence and reliant on shadowy ‘sources,’” adding that it is not an investigation but a desperate smear campaign designed to justify the ongoing unlawful detention of a citizen who has committed no crime.
“It exemplifies the ICPC’s transformation from an anti-corruption agency into a criminal enterprise, perpetrating prosecutorial misconduct, hostage-taking, and violations of fundamental rights in pursuit of a failed agenda of political persecution”.
According to Akpan, El-Rufai willingly submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16. After being granted administrative bail, he was arrested two days later by agents purportedly working for the Department of State Services (DSS).
El-Rufai has been detained since February 18 without being formally charged in court, according to the statement.
The attorney claimed that Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution, which protects individual freedom and mandates that suspects appear in court within a reasonable amount of time, is violated by the detention.
Also, he challenged the legality of a remand order that was purportedly issued on February 19, arguing that it was never provided to the defence team and expired on March 4.
Akpan further claimed that in order to secure the former governor’s release, ICPC officials, including its Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, tried to coerce him into giving up his political involvement.
Part of the statement reads: “The ICPC’s resort to anonymous media plants, rather than judicial process, betrays their fear of scrutiny and underscores their complicity in forgery (Section 363) and using forged documents (Section 364) to perpetuate this injustice.
“We have initiated criminal complaint proceedings against the Chairman, the DSS Director General, and other implicated officers, seeking their personal accountability for these crimes.
“The ICPC cannot operate as both accuser and incarcerator, detaining citizens indefinitely without due process while peddling falsehoods to deflect from their own criminality. We demand the immediate release of Mallam El-Rufai or his arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction”.
