‘IS THIS A FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION OR POLITICAL BATTLE?’ — SANUSI QUESTIONS EL-RUFAI’S SEVEN-MONTH DETENTION. (PHOTO).

 ‘Is This A Fight Against Corruption Or Political Battle?’ — Sanusi Questions El-Rufai’s Seven-Month Detention

The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, has questioned the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, asking whether the case represents a genuine fight against corruption or has become a political battle.

Sanusi raised the issue while speaking about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions and the role of the judiciary in prosecuting corruption cases.

In an interview published by Channels Television, the Emir said Nigeria has institutions and courts established to investigate, prosecute and punish people accused of corruption. However, he expressed concern that political influence could affect how some cases are handled.

“You have institutions that are supposed to identify corrupt people and prosecute them. You have courts that are supposed to do it. We have seen in this country people who are facing corruption charges who basically just get those charges dropped because they belong to the right political environment or have the right political support,” Sanusi said.

He added that some legal proceedings had raised questions about whether anti-corruption measures were being pursued genuinely or were being used for political purposes.

“We have people who have legal processes where people are questioning if in fact, it is a fight against corruption or political persecution,” he said.

Sanusi specifically referred to El-Rufai’s case, describing the former governor as his brother and questioning the circumstances surrounding his continued detention.

“An example is my brother Nasir El-Rufai, he has been in detention for seven months, he has been denied bail, not having committed any offence using the courts, now people begin to wonder, is this a fight against corruption or a political battle,” he said.

The former Kaduna governor is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) while legal proceedings continue.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that El-Rufai returned to court with a fresh N10 billion fundamental rights suit against the ICPC, challenging what he described as the alleged restriction of detainees from accessing their immediate family members.

The suit, filed by his counsel, Ubong Akpan, also listed the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the second and third defendants.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the originating motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026 and filed on August 13, is seeking nine reliefs from the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The latest legal challenge centres on the conditions of El-Rufai’s detention and his continued access to members of his immediate family.

El-Rufai asked the court to declare that his fundamental rights under Part IV of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, remain valid and enforceable despite his detention.

He argued that being detained should not deprive him of his constitutional protections, particularly his rights to dignity and private and family life.

According to the former governor, the alleged repeated denial of access to his wife, Mrs Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, had prevented them from providing him with food, medication and other necessities.

El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that the refusal or prevention of family access without lawful justification or a court order violated his rights under Sections 34 and 37 of the Constitution and Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He further alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7, describing the incident as an arbitrary interference with his relationship with his immediate family.

Meanwhile, Sanusi called on politicians and the judiciary to allow the laws and institutions established to administer justice and fight corruption to operate as intended.

“The politicians, judiciary except they are going to use the laws for why they are set up, we are not going to get anywhere, so the laws are there,” he said.