El-Rufai calls on Trump, Macron and UN after 256 days in custody
PauseandPonderTV · Sat, 31 Oct 2026The former Kaduna governor says a fair trial is his right, not a favour. The ICPC says his detention is lawful.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has asked world leaders and international bodies to step in, as his detention reached 256 days on Friday, 30 October.
In a post on X under the hashtag #FairTrial, the opposition ADC figure argued that a fair hearing is something every accused person is owed, not a privilege to be handed out. He addressed US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron directly, and tagged the UN, Amnesty International, the EU, the African Union and several international news outlets.
El-Rufai has been held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since 18 February. The commission accuses him of money laundering, abuse of office and fraud linked to his time as governor from 2015 to 2023, following a Kaduna Assembly petition over about ₦432 billion.
He also faces a separate case brought by the Department of State Services over the alleged interception of phone calls involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. On 26 October, the Federal High Court in Abuja rejected his no-case submission in that matter and fixed 25 November for him to open his defence. The Court of Appeal in Kaduna had earlier, on 9 October, upheld the refusal of his second bail request.
The ICPC insists it has acted within the law, saying every remand order and extension was approved by a court and that the allegations should be settled at trial.
Source: this report is based on reporting by BusinessDay and Sahara Reporters.