El-Rufai’s Family Protests Alleged DSS Detention After Bail Approval

Fresh controversy surrounded the trial of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, after his family accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of unlawfully taking him into custody despite a court order granting him bail.

The family claimed the action contradicted earlier court directives that El-Rufai should remain under the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Addressing journalists outside the DSS office in Abuja, El-Rufai’s wife, Hasiat, said the family had endured continuous intimidation and fear since the former governor’s detention.

“We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat — DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house,” she said, adding that the family also believed their phones were being monitored.

She disclosed that El-Rufai had appeared before Justice Joyce AbdulMalik earlier in the day and secured bail before proceedings were adjourned until later in the afternoon.

According to her, DSS officials attempted to transfer him to their custody during the break, despite existing Kaduna court orders remanding him with the ICPC.

“He said, ‘I am not a furniture to be moved,’” she recalled while narrating how the former governor resisted the transfer.

Hasiat said El-Rufai was later returned to ICPC custody, but after the court resumed and adjourned the matter again, he was allegedly brought back to the DSS facility.

She claimed he refused to leave the vehicle and insisted the DSS would have to “physically force” him into custody.

The family also accused authorities of denying El-Rufai access to his doctors despite a Kaduna High Court ruling permitting him unrestricted medical access.

According to Hasiat, the ICPC’s medical personnel had advised additional tests, but follow-up consultations with his physicians were allegedly blocked.

The former governor’s son, Bello El-Rufai, described the entire process as politically driven and criticised the bail conditions imposed by the court.

“Why were the terms of the bail so stringent that it is practically impossible for anybody to meet?” he asked.

He argued that the conditions appeared designed to discourage potential sureties from coming forward.

Meanwhile, Director General of the El-Rufai Support Group Association, Dr. Uche Dialla, described the situation as psychological torture, saying the repeated movement of the former governor between agencies was unfair and traumatic.

Senator Lawal Adamu also condemned the situation and urged authorities to release El-Rufai, noting that he voluntarily returned from Cairo to cooperate with investigators.

However, security sources later disclosed that following consultations among lawyers in the case, El-Rufai was eventually returned to ICPC custody later on Monday.

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