El-Rufai Suffered Overnight Nosebleed in Custody, Aide Says
Muyiwa Adekeye, the media aide to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has announced that the former governor suffered an overnight nosebleed while in detention.
Adekeye shared this information in a public statement released on Monday night. He stated that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also stopped the wife of the former governor from giving him food directly on February 17.
El-Rufai went to the headquarters of the anti-graft agency voluntarily on February 16 after he received an invitation.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission then took him into custody on February 18 following his release by the EFCC.
Both government agencies are investigating the former governor over alleged financial crimes committed during his time in office from 2015 to 2023. The Kaduna State House of Assembly previously indicted him in 2024 over the alleged diversion of 423 billion naira in public funds.
Adekeye explained that the legal team of the former governor has not seen any court order that permits the agencies to detain him for more than 48 hours without a formal charge. He noted that family members and lawyers are finding it hard to get access to him.
“One of his wives was not allowed to deliver his meal directly to him on the evening of 17th February, but was asked to pass it to him through one of the commission’s personnel. His lawyers have reported that he suffered an overnight episode of bleeding from his nose,” Adekeye stated.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court will hear a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by el-Rufai on Wednesday. He filed the suit against the federal government, the ICPC, the EFCC, and the Department of State Services.
The former governor is also scheduled for arraignment this week. He faces allegations of intercepting the telephone conversation of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
In addition, el-Rufai filed a separate lawsuit against the ICPC on Monday to protest the alleged unlawful invasion of his house in Abuja.
