El-Rufai renews call for fair trial after 256 days in detention

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has renewed his call for a fair trial as he marked 256 days in detention, The PUNCH reports.

In a statement on his official X account on Friday, El-Rufai insisted that justice must be upheld in line with the law.

The post read, “El-Rufai Detention Update. Today Exactly 256 days @elrufai in Detention. A Human Right, Not a Favor. A fair trial is not an act of mercy. It is not a privilege. It is a fundamental human right.”

The former governor has been in custody since February 16, 2026. That was when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested him over alleged financial mismanagement during his 2015–2023 tenure. The allegations followed a Kaduna State House of Assembly report that questioned how about ₦423bn to ₦432bn was managed.

He was later transferred to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

El-Rufai also faces a separate case filed by the Department of State Services. It accuses him of unlawfully intercepting the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. He has pleaded not guilty.

Courts have granted him bail in some of the cases, but strict conditions have reportedly kept him in detention. In the wiretapping case, a Federal High Court in Abuja recently dismissed his no-case submission and ordered him to enter his defence.