A fellow of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Prof. Udenta Udenta, has described the continued detention of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, as an injustice.
PrimeTimes Nigeria recalls that El-Rufai was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on nine-count charges bordering on the alleged conferment of benefits under false pretences and the dishonest disposal of loan funds.
El-Rufai has been in detention after his bail hearing was postponed to June.
Udenta, during an interview on Arise Television ‘Prime Time’, said El-Rufai should not be kept in perpetuity in detention because of investigation.
According to him, the security authorities can carry out investigations without El-Rufai being in custody.
The professor also suggested that they could seize El-Rufai’s passport and restrict his movements.
He added, “You cannot keep a man in perpetuity in detention because you are doing investigation. That is injustice.”
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a post shared on his social media, raised concerns over what he termed ‘lawfare’ being deployed against El-Rufai, stressing that legal procedures should not be used as a tool for intimidation.
Sowore called on the courts to uphold the rule of law by granting bail where necessary and ensuring fair trials for all individuals.
According to the human rights activist, using bail conditions as a means of caging Nigerians is unjust, unlawful, and unacceptable.
Sowore added that such practices should be rejected, regardless of who is involved, emphasising the need for fairness in the application of the law.