El-Rufai’s Treatment of People Was Reckless, Brutal – Odinkalu on Due Process Debate

Following the treatment of residents during his term, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, cannot complain about due process, according to Chidi Odinkalu, the former head of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission.

El-Rufai is now in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), according to a report released on Thursday.

Recall that shortly after being freed on bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, El-Rufai was detained by agents of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Later on, he was turned over to the ICPC.

In an interview on Channels Television, Odinkalu urged El-Rufai to take responsibility for his acts while in office.

The human rights advocate claims that during his tenure in power, El-Rufai handled individuals with extreme impunity, irresponsibility, and brutality.

He stated, “I’ll begin with the fundamental tenet that all citizens should be treated equally under the law and that they should all be given due process.”

This means that if someone has done something that calls for legal accountability, as I believe he [El-Rufai] has, they shouldn’t be given impunity just because they are a member of a political party or national prominence. To put it clearly, he ought to be subject to due process.

After addressing that, I have one more thing to say: what I’ve said goes well beyond what Nasir El-Rufai gave to people he viewed as his detractors while he was governor of Kaduna State. He acted rashly, brutally, and with great impunity.

“A few of his victims have passed away, such as the late Dr. Rafael Galadima, who was kidnapped along with his wife and ransomed, I assume, a day before he was killed in 2019, three months after Dadiyata vanished from his undiscovered Kaduna house. And on August 2 of this year, Dadiyata’s disappearance will have occurred precisely seven years ago.

He turned villages from kingdoms to Emirates at his whim, effectively displacing non-Muslims from their communities and denying them the ability to assume leadership roles. These towns were primarily composed of Christians.

He expropriated the lands of some people. The state destroyed or expropriated the homes of his political rivals. Nasir El-Rufai isn’t the only person, in my opinion, who can openly complain about due process.

“With all due respect, he was an abhorrent governor of Kaduna State.” What is his issue, by the way? Because he and President Tinubu belonged to the same party, he was the one who ran the most campaigns to overthrow the present administration.

Among other places, he traveled to Chatham House with President Tinubu in 2023. He was a leading advocate for the regime. Who is pursuing him?