By Austine Agbo Emmanuel
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a defamation suit against The Nation newspapers over a publication linking him to an alleged attack on a prosecution witness.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai distanced himself from the report by the newspaper which claimed that gunmen invaded the residence of a key witness in his ongoing trial at the Kaduna State High Court.
The report, titled “El-Rufai’s trial: Gunmen invade principal witness home,” alleged that one Mohammed Umar Karage, a witness in the corruption case against the former governor, linked the incident to his role in the proceedings and suggested it could be an attempt to silence him.
El-Rufai, however, described the insinuations as false and defamatory, insisting that he has no connection whatsoever to the alleged incident.
He stated that his legal team has been directed to institute defamation proceedings against the newspaper.
The former governor further alleged that the publication was designed to prejudice his pending bail application and portray him as being involved in criminal acts, including serious offences.
Adekeye noted that the development was part of what he termed a broader pattern of persecution against El-Rufai, dating back to 2023, adding that the former governor had continued to face “innuendos and vilification” despite his record of public service.
The statement also recalled that El-Rufai was allegedly subjected to an attempted arrest at the Abuja airport upon his return from Cairo on February 12, 2026, before honouring an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16.
According to the statement, he was subsequently detained and later transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission on February 18, where he has remained in detention and has since been arraigned before two separate high courts.
While acknowledging the responsibility of citizens to report criminal incidents to security agencies, El-Rufai maintained that publishing unverified claims capable of implicating individuals in criminal conduct was unacceptable.
He called for adherence to the rule of law and urged authorities to ensure that legal processes are not used as instruments of oppression or to deny him his fundamental rights while standing trial.
The former governor stressed the need for fairness and due process, insisting that he deserves the same constitutional protections accorded to every Nigerian citizen.
