El-Rufai detention: ‘They brought ‘Russian doctor’ without family consent’ – Timi Frank alleges 

Timi Frank, a former deputy spokesperson to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has raised fresh alarm over the health and safety of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who is currently under the custody of the Department of State Security Service. 

In a statement on Friday, Frank alleged that a Russian doctor was brought on Thursday to examine El-Rufai without the family’s consent. 

Frank queried the motive behind the foreign doctor’s examination of El-Rufai against the wish of the former governor. 

According to him, El-Rufai looked healthy in his last appearance at the Federal High Court, further faulting DSS’s alleged motive. 

“A DSS official reached out to me to reliably confirm that a Russian doctor visited Mallam Nasir El-Rufai at about 9:45 p.m. under the claim that he was ill and required medical attention.

“Although Mallam El-Rufai allegedly refused initially, he was reportedly compelled to undergo medical examination,” Frank said.

“If Mallam El-Rufai is truly ill, why bring in a foreign doctor at that time of the night?” He queried.

“I pray that northern elders and youths will not sit back and watch anything untoward happen to Mallam El-Rufai,” Frank said. 

“I therefore call on the Nigerian Bar Association, religious leaders, northern elders, traditional rulers, northern youths, civil society organizations, well-meaning Nigerians, and the international community to urgently demand his immediate release so he can adequately prepare for his defense,” the former APC spokesman urged. 

Recall that El-Rufai was granted N100 million bail by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged national security breach. 

However, El-Rufai was taken back into custody by the DSS pending when he meets his bail conditions. 

DAILY POST reports that the family of El-Rufai had earlier raised alarm over the former governor’s continued detention.