ICPC Blocks ADC Leaders’ Access To El-Rufai

According to Ireporter Online, leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were on Friday reportedly denied access to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, during a visit to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The ADC delegation included the party’s National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; and Secretary of the ADC Manifesto and Policy Committee, Mallam Salihu Lukman. They were said to have been turned back when they attempted to see the former governor at the ICPC facility.

Although details surrounding the visit remain unclear, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi confirmed the development, sharing photos and videos from the scene on his account.

The incident comes amid ongoing controversy over El-Rufai’s detention conditions, following earlier denials by the ICPC that the former governor had been deprived of food, family visits, or medical care.

ICPC spokesperson, Okor Odey, had previously described such allegations as “false and misleading,” stating that visitation is permitted between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. He also noted that El-Rufai’s wife had arrived outside the approved visiting hours, which led to restricted access.

Odey further explained that authorised individuals, including family members, lawyers, and medical personnel, are allowed to see detainees under strict supervision.

However, the El-Rufai family had earlier alleged that the former governor was being denied access to his personal doctors despite a court order permitting unrestricted medical and legal visitation. They also claimed that even recommendations from an ICPC in-house doctor for further medical evaluation were not acted upon.