Arraign El-Rufai or release him without delay, Austin Okai urges ICPC

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Usman Okai Austin, has urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to either arraign former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in Court or release him without delay.

In a statement issued on Friday, Okai Austin criticised the continued detention of El-Rufai, describing it as a departure from due process.

He called on the ICPC to emulate what he described as the “legal and civil approach” recently adopted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which, according to him, opted for judicial process rather than arbitrary detention in handling high-profile cases.

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“The decision of the DSS to approach a court of law rather than resorting to arbitrary detention is both civil and democratic.

“The proper way to handle such matters is to allow the court to determine the issues based on merit-driven arguments from both the prosecution and the defence. The ICPC must not act in a manner that places it above the law,” he said.

Okai Austin described as “awkward, undemocratic and illegal” the practice of detaining individuals before concluding investigations.

He noted that El-Rufai had reportedly honoured invitations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arguing that such cooperation suggests he is neither a flight risk nor likely to interfere with investigations.

He also raised concerns over what he termed a lack of clarity surrounding the former governor’s transfer between anti-corruption agencies.

“The EFCC is yet to clearly explain the circumstances of this custody — whether Mallam El-Rufai was officially handed over to the ICPC or re-arrested after being granted administrative bail. This ambiguity undermines public trust and the rule of law,” he stated.

The ADC chieftain further maintained that international best practices require that suspects be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. He warned anti-corruption agencies against actions that could be perceived as oppressive.

“If there is a case against El-Rufai, it should be tested in Court. If not, he must be released immediately,” the statement added.

As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had yet to issue an official response to the concerns raised.