The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of violating a court order by allegedly preventing him from accessing medical care and restricting family visits while he remains in detention.
The allegations were contained in separate statements issued on Friday by his wife, Aichatou El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The family expressed outrage over what they described as repeated violations of the former governor’s constitutional rights, insisting that the anti-graft agency was disregarding a subsisting court order that granted El-Rufai unrestricted access to his doctors while in custody.
Aichatou El-Rufai alleged that operatives of the commission blocked her husband’s doctor from seeing him when the physician visited the agency’s office on Thursday.
According to her, the doctor had gone to the ICPC headquarters to follow up on medical examinations recently conducted on the former governor.
“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s doctor was at the ICPC today to follow up on medical tests recently taken by his patient,” she stated.
She alleged that despite the existence of a court directive authorising unrestricted medical access, the doctor was denied entry by officials of the anti-corruption agency.
“The doctor was prevented from seeing him by operatives who insisted that the doctor must present written approval by their chairman,” she said.
According to Aichatou, the action amounted to a direct violation of an existing court order and a dangerous precedent capable of undermining the rule of law.
“This is a brazen violation of an explicit court order that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai must be allowed unfettered access to his medical doctors,” she added.
The former First Lady of Kaduna State further alleged that she was personally denied access to deliver food to her husband later that same evening.
She explained that she had arrived at the commission’s premises around 7pm with dinner for the former governor, only to be turned away by officials who allegedly cited an internal restriction on food deliveries after 6:30pm.
“In addition, I, his wife, brought his dinner as usual at about 7pm today, 15 May 2026. ICPC officials also denied me access, saying that they would not accept delivery of dinner after 6:30pm,” she stated.
She described the development as unacceptable and accused the commission of deliberately creating unnecessary hardship for the detained former governor.
“This is just as bad as denying his right to medical visitation and we will not stand for it,” she said.
Mohammed Bello El-Rufai also condemned the alleged actions of the commission in a separate statement issued on Friday night, describing the incidents as serious attacks on his father’s basic human rights.
The federal lawmaker said the family was deeply concerned by what he called a growing pattern of intimidation and disregard for lawful procedures by the anti-graft agency.
“Today, 15 May 2026, we witnessed two distinct yet equally serious attacks on his basic rights,” Bello said.
He explained that the first incident involved the refusal to grant the former governor’s personal doctor access to discuss the outcome of recently conducted medical tests.
“First, his personal Doctor visited the ICPC at about 3pm to discuss the results of medical tests recently conducted on our father. Officials at the agency blocked the doctor from seeing him, claiming that written permission from the ICPC Chairman was required,” he stated.
Bello argued that the commission’s position contradicted a clear judicial directive already issued by the court.
“This directly flouts a clear court order granting Mallam Nasir El-Rufai unrestricted access to his doctors,” he said.
The lawmaker also criticised the alleged refusal of ICPC officials to allow his mother deliver food to the former governor because she arrived after the commission’s stated deadline.
According to him, the restriction had no legal basis and reflected an arbitrary abuse of authority.
“ICPC personnel turned her away, saying they had orders not to permit food deliveries after 6:30pm. This arbitrary rule is no less offensive than blocking his right to medical care,” he said.
Bello accused the anti-corruption agency of violating not only the rights of the former governor but also the fundamental principles of justice and due process.
He described the actions as an attack on the rule of law and insisted that no detainee should be denied medical attention or family support under any circumstance.
“No lawful detention justifies denying medical access or refusing basic family care based on an arbitrary curfew fixed by the ICPC. Shame on them as an institution,” he declared.
The lawmaker further demanded that the commission fully comply with the court order and respect all constitutional protections available to his father.
“We demand that all his constitutional rights be fully respected. We will no longer accept this pattern of intimidation dressed up as protocol. The ICPC must abide by the very laws it claims to enforce,” he added.
The controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s detention has continued to generate public attention amid growing political and legal debates over the handling of the case.
However, as of the time of filing this report, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had yet to officially respond to the allegations raised by the former governor’s family.
Efforts to obtain comments from officials of the commission on the accusations were unsuccessful, leaving unanswered questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged denial of medical access and family visitation.
