Atiku urges Tinubu and ICPC to immediately release El‑Rufai.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged federal authorities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Mallam Nasir El‑Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, who is currently detained.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku criticized the continued detention of El‑Rufai, noting that it occurs while Muslims across Nigeria are preparing for the Eid al‑Kabir celebrations. He described the detention as cruel, unjustifiable and deeply troubling.

Atiku said the situation represented a “disturbing assault on civil liberties, democratic decency, and the rule of law,” and raised concerns about the use of state power to intimidate perceived political opponents.

He added that El‑Rufai’s case is “deeply troubling, politically provocative, and wholly inconsistent with the principles of justice, democracy, and basic human decency.”

“At a time when millions of Muslims across Nigeria and around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid Kabir, a sacred season of sacrifice, compassion, forgiveness, and family reunion, it would be unconscionable for any government to weaponize state power in a manner that denies a citizen his liberty without just cause, particularly in circumstances that raise legitimate concerns about political persecution,” Atiku said.

“Mallam El‑Rufai, regardless of political differences or shifting alliances, remains a Nigerian citizen entitled to the full protection of the Constitution, including his rights to dignity, liberty, and due process,” he added.

“The Federal Government and the Kaduna State authorities must understand that selective justice is injustice. The credibility of any democracy is measured not by how it treats loyalists, but by how it treats perceived opponents,” he stated.

El‑Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He filed for bail upon arraignment, but the ICPC opposed his request in court.