By Chimezie Godfrey
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has rejected allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he violated a court order, insisting his absence from court and subsequent hospital visit were necessitated by a documented medical condition.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai described the anti-graft agency’s July 7 statement as “inaccurate in facts and law,” urging the commission to withdraw claims that he abused court-approved medical access.
According to Adekeye, El-Rufai’s failure to appear before a Kaduna court on July 6 resulted from unresolved health challenges that had already been brought to the attention of the ICPC.
He said the former governor’s personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, had earlier been denied access to examine his patient despite prior coordination with the commission’s medical personnel.
The statement further explained that El-Rufai’s family subsequently requested, in writing, that he be taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for a medical consultation scheduled for July 7, noting that the request had been communicated to the ICPC before the court date became known.
”The suggestion that the request to see his physician was designed to evade court proceedings is entirely false,” the statement said.
El-Rufai also disputed the commission’s claim that photographs taken during his hospital visit showed a breach of a court order.
He argued that the only subsisting order, issued on April 1, 2026, by Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, merely guaranteed him access to medical treatment while in custody and imposed no restrictions on who could meet him during the hospital visit.
The former governor accused the ICPC of omitting key facts, including the earlier denial of medical access and the circumstances surrounding the hospital appointment.
According to the statement, the ICPC changed the hospital consultation from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. without notifying the family until the morning of the appointment, resulting in a larger public presence at the hospital.
It maintained that any interaction with visitors occurred while El-Rufai waited in a public area for a medical report required by the commission before he could be returned to custody.
The statement also criticised the ICPC for describing access to medical care as a “professional courtesy,” arguing that such rights are protected under the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, as well as by an existing court order.
El-Rufai further questioned the arrest of his physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, following the hospital visit.
He called on the commission to disclose the specific allegation against the doctor, the allegedly false statement he made, when it was made and whether due legal procedures were followed before his arrest.
The former governor warned that any attempt to restrict his access to medical care, legal counsel or family members would amount to contempt of court and could trigger legal action against the commission.
He insisted no court order had been breached and called on the ICPC to retract its statement alleging disobedience of judicial directives.
El-Rufai reaffirmed his commitment to defending his right to a fair trial and access to medical care in accordance with existing court orders and applicable legal standards.
El-Rufai denies violating court order, demands ICPC retracts statement
