A social media commentator, Imran U. Wakili, has alleged that the sudden release of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, is evidence that the government had been targeting him unfairly.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Wakili claimed that El-Rufai’s detention was not based on any proven wrongdoing but was instead intended to humiliate him.
He argued that the timing of the release raised questions about the motives behind the former governor’s arrest and prolonged detention.
“The sudden release of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai shows that they were only keeping him to humiliate him, not because he committed any crime,” Wakili wrote.
He further criticised authorities for allegedly denying El-Rufai the opportunity to bid farewell to his late mother, while keeping him in custody throughout the 30 days of Ramadan.
According to him, the eventual release, which will allow the former governor to attend his mother’s funeral, suggests a partial reconsideration by those responsible.
Wakili added that while the release may indicate “a little conscience,” it also underscores what he described as unjust treatment.
President Bola Tinubu; Governor Uba Sani; and Malam Nuhu Ribadu, have all condoled with El-Rufai over his mother’s death.
Their comments have attracted divergent reactions on social media, with some describing the ordeal of the former governor as a family affair among the elites.
The ICPC had arraigned him on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion of public property and money laundering.
He was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna, which adjourned his application for bail till March 31.
But hours after his mother died in Cairo, Egypt, the anti-graft agency freed the former governor, who has denied all the allegations leveled against him.