Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged a fresh plot to implicate him in criminal activities, warning of what he described as coordinated efforts to tarnish his image and keep him in prolonged detention.
Lazeera News reports that the allegation was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye.
El-Rufai claimed that recent developments point to “malicious orchestrations” targeted at damaging his reputation.
According to the statement, the former governor cited an incident when he was allegedly marked for arrest upon arrival at the Abuja airport from Cairo.
He further disclosed that he honoured an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, after which he was detained.
El-Rufai said he was subsequently transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on February 18.
The former governor’s latest concern stems from a report alleging that gunmen invaded the residence of a principal witness in an ongoing trial at the Kaduna State High Court.
The report quoted one Mohammed Umar Karage as suggesting the attack could be linked to his role in the case and might be an attempt to silence him.
El-Rufai’s camp, however, rejected any connection to the incident, accusing the publication of making “false imputations” against him.
“Any objective reader would recognise the clear intent behind these statements: to tarnish his reputation and justify his continued detention,” the statement said.
The camp argued that the report was deliberately crafted to smear his image and undermine his pending bail application.
Maintaining his innocence, El-Rufai described himself as a law-abiding citizen with no link to the alleged attack.
He revealed that his legal team had been instructed to initiate defamation proceedings against the newspaper involved.
The statement further alleged that the former governor has been subjected to a sustained campaign of “innuendos and vilification” since 2023.
It warned against the misuse of legal processes, stressing the need to uphold the rule of law.
“El-Rufai should be accorded full due process guaranteed by law to every citizen, and the persistent disregard for his rights must cease immediately,” the statement added.
