Family members of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday accused the Department of State Services of violating existing court orders in relation to his detention.
The family staged a protest outside the DSS headquarters in Abuja after the former governor was allegedly taken into DSS custody despite court directives ordering that he remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.
Speaking during the protest, Asia el-Rufai, the former governor’s second wife, said the family had been subjected to fear, threats, and psychological distress.
“We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat — DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house. You are being followed. Our phones are tapped,” she said.
According to her, el-Rufai had earlier appeared before Justice Joyce AbdulMalik of the Federal High Court, who granted him bail and adjourned proceedings until 1 p.m.
Asia alleged that during the break, the former governor was briefly moved to a DSS facility despite two subsisting court orders directing that he remain in ICPC custody.
She said el-Rufai resisted the transfer and questioned the legality of the move.
“He said to them, ‘I am not going to step down because there are two court orders that the Kaduna court gave that I should be remanded in ICPC. Why are you bringing me here? I am not furniture to be moved,’” she stated.
According to her, he was later returned to the ICPC facility but was again brought to the DSS office after the afternoon court session.
“He told them that if you want to take me inside DSS custody, you will have to physically force me into doing this, because you had an agreement,” she added.
Asia further claimed that Justice AbdulMalik had directed the DSS and ICPC to determine which agency would retain custody of the former governor pending proceedings.
“When Justice AbdulMalik said I should go to DSS in the first instance, we told her that there are subsisting orders,” she said.
“And she said, let DSS and ICPC go and decide who will keep him, and you people decided they are keeping him with ICPC. What has changed?”
She also alleged that el-Rufai, who she said had spent 91 days in custody, had been denied access to his personal doctors despite a Kaduna High Court order granting him unrestricted access to legal counsel and medical care.
According to Asia, the ICPC’s in-house doctor had recommended medical tests and agreed that the former governor’s personal physicians would later discuss the results with him, but the arrangement was allegedly not honoured.
“When you see a doctor and you run tests, you are expected to see the doctor back so that he explains what the problem is,” she said.
“He was denied access to the doctor because in their own explanation, they said Malam was not aware that the doctor was coming. I asked Malam — Malam said nobody told him.”
The family demanded el-Rufai’s immediate return to ICPC custody, restoration of access to his doctors, and an end to what they described as psychological intimidation.
Meanwhile, Bello El-Rufai, son of the former governor, described the matter as politically motivated.
