Asiya el-Rufai, one of the wives of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, has alleged that political forces are making efforts to keep her husband in detention by creating difficulties around the bail conditions imposed by courts.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, July 8, Asiya described the bail requirements issued by federal high courts in Kaduna and Abuja as difficult to meet, arguing that the conditions had made it challenging for the former governor to secure his release.
She explained that one of the bail conditions granted by the Federal High Court in Kaduna required two sureties with properties worth N200 million each in GRA Kaduna, as well as an attestation letter from the Kaduna Traditional Council. According to her, obtaining the traditional council’s approval became impossible despite repeated efforts by the family.
Asiya said the council did not provide a clear reason for refusing to issue the required document, only stating that it was unable to do so.
She added that the family faced additional challenges while trying to complete the property verification process required for the bail application. According to her, the process involved confirming property ownership through the land registry and submitting original documents, but the closure of the Kaduna land registry at the time created further obstacles.
“When you want to post a bail, you have to do property verification and submit the original certificate. Before you submit your original certificate, you need to go to the land registry and verify it. The land registry in Kaduna was shut down at that period. We were stuck in the mud,” she said.
Speaking about the bail conditions issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja, Asiya also questioned the requirement for a civil servant surety who owns property in areas such as Asokoro or Maitama. She argued that such conditions were unrealistic and that many qualified individuals might hesitate to stand as sureties due to the level of scrutiny involved.
While stating that she did not want to make direct accusations, Asiya suggested that political factors could be influencing the situation.
“I don’t want to speculate but as a Nigerian and human beings, I don’t think it is wrong if I say that there must be some politics going on,” she said.
She also defended her husband’s decision to return to Nigeria, saying Nasir el-Rufai voluntarily came back to respond to invitations from law enforcement agencies and would not have returned if he intended to avoid prosecution.
Nasir el-Rufai is currently facing separate legal cases, including charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the Kaduna High Court and Federal High Court in Kaduna. He is also facing a case brought by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
The former governor has denied wrongdoing, while his wife continues to raise concerns over what she describes as difficult bail conditions affecting his release.
Yawa9ja
Share Your Thoughts Below!
