ABUJA — Northern human rights activist and anti-corruption campaigner, Comrade Ibrahim Garba Wala, has called on the judiciary to urgently review and relax the bail conditions imposed on former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, describing the requirements as excessive and deliberately designed to keep him in detention.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, Wala argued that the conditions attached to El-Rufai’s bail amount to a “structural denial of freedom” rather than a legitimate effort to ensure his appearance in court.
The activist also reacted to recent rumours alleging that El-Rufai had died in custody — claims that were later dismissed by the former governor’s family. According to Wala, the widespread circulation of the reports reflects growing public concern over El-Rufai’s well-being and treatment while in detention.
“The rumour did not emerge from a vacuum. It is the natural consequence of a growing public panic that the treatment meted out to El-Rufai has crossed the line from a routine legal process into a highly coordinated, malicious silence and slow-death trap,” he stated.
Wala cited concerns previously raised by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, regarding what he described as the increasing use of restrictive bail conditions by courts and law enforcement agencies. He maintained that El-Rufai’s case represents one of the clearest examples of such a trend.
According to him, the bail terms requiring multiple sureties who must be serving federal civil servants on Grade Level 17, the submission of original Certificates of Occupancy for high-value properties in Abuja’s Maitama and Asokoro districts, as well as mandatory reporting obligations to security agencies, are unrealistic and difficult to meet.
Wala referenced the Court of Appeal’s decision in Dasuki v. Director-General, State Security Service, where the court reportedly held that imposing multi-million-naira property requirements on civil servants was impractical and inconsistent with public service regulations. He also cited provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which stipulate that bail conditions should be reasonable and aimed solely at ensuring a defendant’s attendance at trial.
The activist further alleged that political interests may be influencing the handling of El-Rufai’s case, claiming that longstanding opponents of the former governor were exploiting the judicial process to settle political and ideological grievances.
He alleged that certain actors within the security establishment, alongside regional interest groups dissatisfied with policies implemented during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor, were working to prolong his legal troubles.
“By capturing or heavily influencing the machinery of federal law enforcement, these combined forces have transformed what should be a transparent legal process into a coordinated proxy war. It is an unholy alliance using the courts not to seek justice, but to execute a long-awaited vendetta,” Wala alleged.
The activist called for an immediate review of El-Rufai’s bail conditions, the removal of what he described as biased officials within key government agencies, and strict adherence to the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence.
“If Malam Nasir El-Rufai is allowed to suffer a silent, systematic breakdown in custody under the guise of impossible bail, it will mark the formal burial of constitutional liberty in Nigeria,” he warned.
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