Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has alleged that the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is politically motivated, linking it to his affiliation with the opposition party.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television Morning Brief, describing 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 on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He added, “For now, he is using his authority as commander-in-chief to deploy the instrumentality of the anti-corruption agencies in courts, because I wonder whether there is any commission fighting corruption in Tinubu’s regime.”
Okonkwo argued that holding El-Rufai without charge violates fundamental human rights provisions under the Constitution and stressed that security agencies cannot detain suspects indefinitely under the guise of ongoing 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.
He further emphasized that arrests should follow the completion of investigations, not precede them. “The whole idea of arrest is that you have completed your investigation and found the person culpable for the crime alleged. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the suspect’s guilt, not the suspect to defend his innocence,” Okonkwo added.
El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, after being released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
On Wednesday, a magistrate court in Bwari, Abuja granted ICPC a fresh 14-day detention order as investigations into alleged money laundering and abuse of office continue. His family has criticized the ongoing detention.
