Release El-Rufai or charge him to court – Sultan tells Tinubu, questions US military deployment

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It has been reported that Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar advised President Bola Tinubu to either release Nasiru El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, or bring him up on formal charges in court.

In a video of a sermon circulating on X, Islamic scholar Sanusi Khalil narrated that the Sultan requested “Nasir should either be arraigned before a competent court or released on bail while investigations continue. The Sultan is not saying a perpetrator should not be punished; rather, he is requesting due process should be followed.”

Sheikh Khalil further mentioned that the Sultan expressed worries about the stationing of U.S. military personnel in Northern Nigeria, questioning whether their presence was for the purpose of training Nigerian soldiers or to set up a lasting military base there. “If a base is going to be provided for them, then why must it be established in Northern Nigeria?” Khalil quoted the Sultan.

The cleric reaffirmed his support for the Sultan, stating, “We at our level can’t ask such hard-hitting questions, it might be tagged as disrespectful, but I am glad leaders like the Sultan are asking the right questions, and he will always have our support and prayers.”

In the meantime, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) provided clarification that El-Rufai’s ongoing detention is due to an existing court order rather than a new directive.

Spokesperson Okor Odey stated that the commission appeared in court on Tuesday to respond to an application submitted by El-Rufai on March 6, which sought to overturn a remand order issued on March 5.

Odey stated, “All actions taken so far were in strict compliance with the law, including the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.” He noted that the initial order permitted a 14-day detention and investigation period, which the court later extended.

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