THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has denied allegations that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, was denied access to medical and family care while in detention at the agency’s facility.
News Point Nigeria reports that El-Rufai has remained in the custody of the ICPC since February 19 over allegations of financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
On April 13, the anti-graft agency arraigned the former governor before the Kaduna High Court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.
The controversy intensified on Friday after Mohammed Bello, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency and son of the former governor, accused the ICPC of preventing his father’s wife from delivering food to him.
The lawmaker also alleged that officials of the commission stopped a doctor from seeing el-Rufai, describing the development as a violation of the former governor’s fundamental human rights.
However, speaking during a press conference on Monday, ICPC spokesperson, Okor Odey, dismissed the allegations as “false and misleading”.
Odey said the commission was disturbed that people would “concoct falsehoods” against the anti-corruption agency.
According to him, the ICPC’s access control protocol permits visitors entry into its facility only between 9am and 6:30pm daily.
He explained that el-Rufai’s wife arrived outside the officially approved visiting hours.
“The families of all defendants and suspects in ICPC custody, including the family in question, were duly informed of this protocol and have, until this incident, been in compliance,” Odey said.
“On the Friday in question, one of the defendant’s wives and a housemaid were permitted to bring food to the defendant on no fewer than three occasions between 10:30am and 5:30pm.”
The ICPC spokesperson added that the visitor’s register, which contains names of family members and the purpose of visits, remains available for verification.
“Authorised visitors — including family members, legal counsel, and medical personnel are permitted to visit, deliver food, and consult with persons in custody,” he said.
“However, entry is strictly not permitted after 6:30pm.”
Odey also reacted to a viral video in which one of el-Rufai’s wives alleged she was denied access to the facility, stating that she arrived around 7pm, about 30 minutes after the official visiting window had closed.
“It is also on record that she has on prior occasions exceeded her permitted visiting duration,” he stated.
“Furthermore, the woman herself admitted in the same video that she had delivered both breakfast and lunch to her husband earlier that day, thereby contradicting the allegation that the ICPC denied him access to food.
“Given his profile, the ICPC is obligated to maintain elevated security measures for his protection, as well as that of all other persons in its custody.”
The commission also denied claims that el-Rufai’s medical personnel were denied access to him.
Odey explained that the commission merely requested proper identification from the medical personnel and sought confirmation from the former governor before allowing supervised access, describing it as a standard security procedure.
“It is a standard security procedure. It bears mentioning that in the week preceding this incident, Malam el-Rufai had requested, and was granted permission to visit both his dentist and eye doctor on two separate occasions,” he said.
“The commission accompanied him on both visits. This is in addition to the regular access he enjoys to the commission’s in-house medical personnel and facilities upon request.”
The ICPC spokesperson further stated that the commission would not be “drawn into dramatised narratives designed to circumvent lawful institutional procedures.”