El-Rufai's Family Cries Foul: ICPC Allegedly Blocks Doctor, Dinner Access

The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of violating a court order by allegedly denying him access to his doctor and refusing to allow his wife to bring food while he remains in custody. The allegations were made on Friday in separate statements issued by his wife, Aichatou El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, amid growing controversy surrounding the former governor’s detention. Aichatou El-Rufai alleged that ICPC operatives prevented her husband’s doctor from seeing him despite what she described as an “explicit court order” granting him unrestricted medical access. According to her, the doctor had visited the anti-graft agency on Thursday to follow up on medical tests recently conducted on the former governor. “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai's doctor was at the ICPC today to follow up on medical tests recently taken by his patient,” she said. “The doctor was prevented from seeing him by operatives who insisted that the doctor must present written approval by their chairman. This is a brazen violation of an explicit court order that Mallam Nasir @elrufai must be allowed unfettered access to his medical doctors.” She further alleged that she was also denied access when she arrived at the commission’s premises around 7pm with dinner for her husband. “In addition, I, his wife, brought his dinner as usual at about 7pm today, 15 May 2026. ICPC officials also denied me access, saying that they would not accept delivery of dinner after 6:30pm,” she added. “This is just as bad as denying his right to medical visitation and we will not stand for it.” Her son, Bello El-Rufai, who currently represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, also condemned the actions of the anti-corruption agency in a strongly worded statement released on Friday night. He described the development as “two distinct yet equally serious attacks” on his father’s basic rights. “Today, 15 May 2026, we witnessed two distinct yet equally serious attacks on his basic rights,” Bello said. “First, his personal Doctor visited the ICPC at about 3pm to discuss the results of medical tests recently conducted on our father. Officials at the agency blocked the doctor from seeing him, claiming that written permission from the ICPC Chairman was required.” He maintained that the action directly contradicted an existing court order granting the former governor unrestricted access to medical care while in detention. “This directly flouts a clear court order granting Mallam Nasir El-Rufai unrestricted access to his doctors,” he stated. Bello further accused the ICPC of imposing what he called an “arbitrary rule” after officials allegedly refused to allow his mother deliver food to the former governor because it was after 6:30pm. “ICPC personnel turned her away, saying they had orders not to permit food deliveries after 6:30pm. This arbitrary rule is no less offensive than blocking his right to medical care,” he said. The lawmaker described the alleged actions of the commission as “an outright assault on the rule of law” and “a clear violation” of El-Rufai’s constitutional rights. “No lawful detention justifies denying medical access or refusing basic family care based on an arbitrary curfew fixed by the ICPC. Shame on them as an institution,” he added. “We demand that all his constitutional rights be fully respected. We will no longer accept this pattern of intimidation dressed up as protocol. The ICPC must abide by the very laws it claims to enforce.” As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC has yet to officially respond to the allegations made by the El-Rufai family.