Sharia Council Cautions Against Political Persecution in El-Rufai Detention

The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on the authorities to respect the rule of law in the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, amid his ongoing legal battle. The council, in a statement on Monday by its Secretary-General, Nafiu Baba Ahmad, expressed concern over what it described as the circumstances surrounding El-Rufai's continued detention and the reported difficulty in meeting his bail conditions. It said the situation could be inconsistent with established legal procedures and constitutional safeguards, stressing that El-Rufai, like every Nigerian, was entitled to his fundamental rights and remained presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court. The council said Nigeria was a constitutional democracy where due process, fair hearing and lawful detention must be upheld regardless of a person's status, political affiliation or disposition. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn It, however, stressed that its intervention did not amount to support for any alleged wrongdoing by the former governor. "The Council does not, under any circumstances, support or condone criminality in any form by anyone. However, the pursuit of justice must itself be just," it said. The SCSN warned that actions perceived as arbitrary or politically motivated could undermine public confidence in state institutions and weaken democratic governance. It therefore urged the relevant authorities to ensure that every stage of the proceedings complied with the Constitution and other extant laws. The council also called on the authorities to avoid actions that could be perceived as political persecution and instead demonstrate commitment to fairness, transparency and the rule of law. El-Rufai has been facing legal proceedings over allegations linked to his administration in Kaduna State. His continued detention and bail conditions have remained contentious. The former governor is standing trial on a nine-count amended charge bordering on alleged abuse of office, fraud, irregular award and execution of public contracts, money laundering, conferring undue advantage and unlawful handling of public funds during his tenure as Kaduna State governor. The case is instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He is also facing a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations of unlawfully taping of telephone conversations linked to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Read the original article on Daily Trust . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complet