Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised considerations over what he described as a coordinated try to wreck his repute, following a report linking him to an alleged assault on a prosecution witness.
In a press release issued on Sunday by his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai denied any involvement within the incident and described the claims as malicious.
The assertion referenced a report revealed by The Nation on April 18, titled “El-Rufai’s trial: Gunmen invade principal witness residence,” which alleged {that a} witness in an ongoing case reported an assault on his residence and linked it to his function in proceedings involving the previous governor.
Based on Adekeye, the publication contained “innuendos suggestive of a plot to border Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” including that such claims had been supposed to tarnish his picture.
“Any goal reader would recognise the clear intent behind these statements: to smear Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s repute, jeopardise his pending bail software on the Kaduna State Excessive Courtroom, and implicate him in critical capital offences,” the assertion mentioned.
El-Rufai maintained that he has “no connection by any means to the incidents described” and has directed his authorized workforce to pursue defamation proceedings.
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The assertion additionally detailed current developments involving the previous governor, noting that he was invited by the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) on February 16, 2026, after an earlier try and arrest him on the Abuja airport.
He was subsequently detained and later transferred to the Impartial Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC), the place he stays in custody and has been arraigned in two separate excessive courts.
The assertion described the state of affairs as a part of a broader sample of focusing on the previous governor since 2023.
“Since 2023, Malam El-Rufai has been subjected to an appalling and sustained marketing campaign of innuendos and vilification,” it mentioned.
It additional known as for adherence to the rule of regulation and respect for due course of.
“The rule of regulation must not ever be perverted right into a device of oppression. Authorized processes ought to serve the ends of justice, not be employed to disclaim a citizen his basic proper to liberty whereas he stands trial,” the assertion added.
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