Drama as El-Rufai resists transfer to DSS custody, family cries foul

The family of Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, on Monday raised alarm over what they described as the unlawful transfer of the embattled politician from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to the Department of State Services (DSS), despite subsisting court orders directing otherwise.

Speaking to journalists outside the DSS facility in Abuja, El-Rufai’s second wife, Hasiat El-Rufai, accused security agencies of subjecting the former governor and his family to intimidation, surveillance, and psychological distress.

According to her, the development occurred shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Joyce AbdulMalik, where El-Rufai appeared in connection with charges against him and was granted bail before the matter was adjourned until Tuesday.

Hasiat alleged that during a break in proceedings, DSS operatives attempted to move El-Rufai into their custody despite two existing orders from a Kaduna State court directing that he remain under ICPC custody.

“We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat, DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house. You are being followed. Our phones are tapped,” she told reporters.

She recounted that El-Rufai resisted the move and insisted that the court orders from Kaduna specifically mandated that he be remanded with the ICPC.

“He said to them, ‘I am not going to step down because there are two court orders that the Kaduna court gave that I should be remanded in ICPC. Why are you bringing me here?’ He said, ‘I am not a furniture to be moved,’” she stated.

According to her, the former governor was initially returned to the ICPC after the morning proceedings.

However, after the afternoon session, during which the prosecution sought an adjournment and the court fixed the matter for continuation the following day, he was allegedly brought back to the DSS facility instead of being returned to ICPC custody.

She said El-Rufai refused to leave the vehicle conveying him to the DSS office, insisting that the agencies honour the earlier understanding reached before the court.

“He told them that if you want to take me inside DSS custody, you will have to physically force me into doing this, because you had an agreement,” she said.

Hasiat further claimed that AbdulMalik had earlier directed the DSS and ICPC to determine which agency would keep the former governor in custody, after the defence informed the court of subsisting Kaduna court orders.

“When AbdulMalik said I should go to DSS in the first instance, we told her that there are subsisting orders. And she said, let DSS and ICPC go and decide who will keep him, and you people decided they are keeping him with ICPC. What has changed?” she queried.

The family also alleged that el-Rufai had been denied access to his personal doctors despite a Kaduna High Court order issued by Aikawa granting him unrestricted access to his lawyers and physicians while in custody.

Hasiat disclosed that the ICPC’s in-house doctor had earlier recommended medical tests for the former governor and that arrangements had been made for his personal doctors to return and explain the outcome of those tests to him.

According to her, that arrangement was later blocked.

“When you see a doctor and you run tests, you are expected to see the doctor back so that he explains what the problem is.

“He was denied access to the doctor because in their own explanation, they said Malam was not aware that the doctor was coming. I asked Malam, Malam said nobody told him,” she added.

The family demanded the immediate return of the former governor to ICPC custody in line with existing court orders, restoration of his access to personal physicians, and an end to what they described as persistent psychological harassment.

Also speaking, Bello El-Rufai, El-Rufai’s son and member of the House of Representatives, alleged that the case against his father was politically motivated.

He questioned the stringent bail conditions imposed by the court, arguing that they were deliberately designed to frustrate efforts to secure the former governor’s release.

“Who keeps a person for 91 days? Why were the terms of the bail so stringent that it is practically impossible for anybody to meet?” he asked.

Bello particularly faulted conditions requiring attestations from the Kaduna State Council of Chiefs and a Level 17 civil servant with property in Abuja’s Maitama or Asokoro districts.

“Which civil servant has N100 million? What are we trying to do? Are we trying to make people come out so that they can be targeted too?” he queried.

He further accused the ICPC of issuing misleading public statements concerning the matter and disclosed plans to submit a formal petition to the House of Representatives.

Uche Dialla, Director General of the El-Rufai Support Group Association, also condemned the handling of the matter, describing the movement of the former governor between agencies as psychological torture.

“Torture is not just physical torture. When you take a man psychologically, he is in the custody of ICPC, and then he goes to court, and when there is a break, you take him to another environment, that is psychological torture,” Dialla said.

He argued that since El-Rufai’s personal belongings remained at the ICPC facility, moving him elsewhere amounted to deliberate emotional distress.

Meanwhile, Lawal Adamu (Senator), who arrived during the briefing, called for the immediate release of the former governor, noting that he voluntarily returned to Nigeria from Cairo after being invited by anti-graft authorities.

“He was outside this country. He was invited by the ICPC, and he flew all the way from Cairo back to Nigeria to submit himself. We are calling for his immediate release.

“He deserves to be granted bail on the basis of self-recognition. What is happening is psychological harassment because of politics,” the senator said.

However, security sources later confirmed that following consultations among lawyers representing parties in the matter, El-Rufai was eventually returned to ICPC custody at about 5pm on Monday.