The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has raised fresh concerns over the continued detention and prosecution of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, urging the authorities handling his cases to strictly observe constitutional safeguards, due process and his right to fair hearing.
The council said the circumstances surrounding El-Rufai’s detention had raised questions about the application of established legal procedures, insisting that accountability for alleged wrongdoing must be pursued within the framework of the law.
Nafiu Baba Ahmad, Secretary General of the council, said in a statement that El-Rufai, like every other Nigerian, was entitled to his fundamental rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court.
The intervention comes amid the former governor’s ongoing legal battles arising from allegations connected to his eight-year administration of Kaduna State and a separate case involving alleged unlawful interception of telephone conversations.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023, has been facing scrutiny over decisions and financial transactions undertaken during his administration. The ICPC has instituted a nine-count amended charge against him bordering on alleged abuse of office, fraud, irregular award and execution of public contracts, money laundering, conferring undue advantage and unlawful handling of public funds.
