Wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, has questioned the arrest of her husband's longtime physician and accused investigating agencies of frustrating efforts to secure proper medical treatment for the former governor while he remains in custody.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Aisha, a lawyer, maintained that while she would not comment on matters before the courts, she believes the conduct of the investigating agencies raises serious concerns.
Asked whether she blamed the courts or security agencies for her husband's continued detention and strict bail conditions, she said she preferred not to speculate about the judiciary but pointed to the actions of the agencies prosecuting the case.
"As a lawyer, I would not want to speculate on issues concerning the courts because the matter is before them. But the agencies are the ones that took him to court, opposed his bail applications and argued that he is a flight risk," she said.
While stopping short of making direct accusations, Aisha suggested that political considerations could not be entirely ruled out.
"I don't want to speculate, but as a Nigerian and as a human being, I don't think it is wrong to say there may be some politics involved," she stated.
The former governor's wife also expressed concern over what she described as inconsistent access to medical care.
According to her, authorities had previously allowed El-Rufai to visit eye specialists because of his glaucoma and other medical conditions but later denied him access to his longtime physician, Professor Bello, who has reportedly treated him since his tenure as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
She explained that after routine medical examinations, both the physician and an internal doctor attached to the investigating agency reportedly agreed that additional tests were necessary.
Asiya said arrangements were initially made for the follow-up consultation, but the doctor was allegedly prevented from seeing El-Rufai despite waiting for more than two hours.
Believing that concerns may have been raised about a private consultation, she said the family subsequently requested that the consultation take place at the National Hospital, Abuja, where the physician is a consultant.
She noted that a formal request was submitted to the authorities seeking approval for the appointment.
According to her, the authorities later changed the scheduled hospital visit from the requested 5 p.m. appointment to 10 a.m., when the hospital would be significantly busier.
Despite the change, she said the consultation eventually took place in the presence of another consultant as well as the hospital's Chief Medical Director (CMD) and Deputy Chief Medical Director.
Following the examination, Aisha said the attending physician concluded that El-Rufai's blood pressure and blood sugar levels were elevated and recommended that he be admitted for observation.
She claimed the Chief Medical Director agreed with the recommendation.
According to Aisha, she immediately informed the senior officer of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) accompanying her husband about the doctors' recommendation.
She said the officer indicated that approval would have to come from higher authorities and requested that the hospital submit a formal letter recommending admission.
"The hospital wrote the letter, I personally delivered it, obtained an official acknowledgment, and then, out of the blue, the doctor was arrested," she alleged.
Aisha questioned the circumstances surrounding the physician's arrest, arguing that the doctor had merely discharged his professional responsibilities by examining a patient and recommending appropriate treatment.
She also criticised the handling of a medical report issued by the physician, alleging that the National Hospital's Chief Medical Director publicly questioned the report without first consulting the consultant whose name and official stamp appeared on the document.
According to her, proper administrative procedure would have required verifying the authenticity of the report directly with the doctor before making public comments.
The ICPC has consistently maintained that it is acting within the law in its handling of the case, while legal proceedings involving the former governor continue before the courts.
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