Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has issued a public statement alleging a new plot to link him to criminal activity and prolong his detention. The claim was made in a statement released on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, which described the efforts as "malicious orchestrations" aimed at damaging his reputation. El-Rufai referenced an incident on February 12, 2026, when he said he was nearly arrested upon arrival at Abuja Airport from Cairo. He voluntarily appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16 and was detained, then transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on February 18.
The latest concern arose from a report published by The Nation on April 18 titled "El-Rufai's trial: Gunmen invade principal witness home." The article cited Mohammed Umar Karage, a witness in an ongoing case at Kaduna State High Court, who claimed armed men attacked his residence. Karage suggested the attack could be related to his testimony and compared it to the disappearance of activist Abubakar Idris Dadiyata. El-Rufai's camp dismissed the report as containing false imputations designed to associate him with the attack and weaken his bail application. The statement said the publication's narrative aimed to justify his continued detention and damage his public image. El-Rufai denied any involvement, calling himself a law-abiding citizen, and confirmed his legal team is preparing defamation proceedings against the newspaper. The statement also alleged a sustained campaign of vilification against him since 2023, despite his contributions to public service, and demanded due process under the law.
El-Rufai claims he is being framed through media reports while already in detention, yet offers no evidence to disprove the witness's account or explain the timing of the alleged attack. His legal team's plan to sue The Nation for defamation suggests the narrative around his case is now as much about public perception as it is about court proceedings. If the report by Karage is false, then those who published it should be held accountable, but if it reflects genuine fear, then El-Rufai's camp cannot dismiss it solely as character assassination. The situation leaves Nigerians questioning the integrity of both the prosecution's case and the defence's counter-narrative.
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