A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is politically motivated, linking it to his association with the opposition party.
Okonkwo, a lawyer, made the allegation on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, where he condemned the detention as a violation of El-Rufai’s constitutional rights.
“He is being maltreated, he is being persecuted because he has joined ADC, and we are not exculpating anybody,” Okonkwo said, placing responsibility for the situation on President Bola Tinubu.
He further accused the administration of using anti-corruption agencies and the courts to target political opponents.
“For now, he is using his authority as the commander-in-chief to use the instrumentality of the anti-corruption agencies in courts, because I wonder whether there is any commission fighting corruption in Tinubu’s regime,” he said.
Okonkwo argued that detaining El-Rufai without formally charging him in court violates constitutional provisions on fundamental human rights, stressing that security agencies do not have the power to hold suspects indefinitely under the pretext of investigations.
“That is illegal, and any such order is unconstitutional. If El-Rufai committed any crime, please bring him to trial, grant him bail, so that if he is convicted, fine, nobody in ADC is quarrelling against the rule of law,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also maintained that an arrest should only occur after investigations have been completed and evidence established.
“The whole idea of arrest is that you have completed your investigation and found the person culpable for the crime you alleged he committed. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the suspect, not the suspect to defend his innocence,” he added.
El-Rufai has remained in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission since February 19 after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. On Wednesday, a magistrate’s court in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory, granted the ICPC a fresh 14-day detention order as investigations into allegations of money laundering and abuse of office continue.
His family has, however, faulted the continued detention.
