- Claims former Governor has swollen and itchy eyes
BY VICTOR BUORO – Reports of a desperate medical emergency involving the former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sparked an explosive war of words between his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
In a stunning escalation of allegations, Adekeye has publicly accused the anti-corruption agency of holding his boss under inhumane conditions and actively denying him access to medical treatment while in custody.
According to Adekeye, happenings unfolding behind closed doors indicate that ICPC operatives have repeatedly blocked El-Rufai’s access to a doctor, sparking intense concern over his fundamental human rights and physical well-being.
In a blistering media statement, Adekeye said El-Rufai had complained of itchy eyes, and requested to visit the hospital to check his condition, but the request was turned down by ICPC officials, thereby violating their duty of care.
He said though the former governor was taken to an eye clinic on Thursday June 4, his eyes’ condition suddenly deteriorated, raising concerns among family members but operatives of the anti-graft agency have deliberately turned down direct requests for medical attention despite visible signs of a worsening eye condition.
The statement said: “ICPC officials denied requests by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to see a doctor. He had complained about his eyes which are visibly swollen, reddish and itchy. His family drew the attention of the operatives to his condition and his request for a hospital visit to check his condition.
“Two ICPC officials checked and saw the condition of his eyes. This was an expected step to prompt either a hospital check or that a doctor would be summoned to attend to him.”
Further accusing the Commission of failing to relay El-Rufai’s position accurately to his family, Adekeye said: “However, no medical attention was arranged. Rather one Henry, believed to have been seconded to the ICPC from another agency, falsely informed a family member that El Rufai did not wish to see a doctor. Henry was vigorously challenged by a family member for this false, insensitive and absurd claim.
“This is not the first time that an attempt will be made by ICPC officials to attribute to Mallam what he did not tell them. Mallam had been taken to an eye clinic on Thursday, 4 June, but his eyes had gotten worse overnight, putting him in great discomfort and alarming the wives who visited him today.”
The Media Adviser, who criticised the anti-corruption Agency for allegedly violating El-Rufai’s rights despite a court order obtained by his lawyers to enable him access medical care, said no government agency should deny a person in its custody access to medical healthcare.
He stated that: “The persistent problem with his eyes during his time in custody had led Mallam’s counsels to obtain a court order to enable him access to his doctors and medical treatment. Despite this, the ICPC persists in treating him as if he is without rights and is undeserving of a duty of care while in their custody.
“No agency of the government is allowed to be indifferent to the medical condition of a person in their custody. The ICPC must respect human rights of persons in its custody, obey court orders and allow them access to the medical treatment that they require.”
Former governor’s family had earlier in May 2026 slammed the ICPC for deliberately restricting his access to food and essential medical care while he was in detention with tensions further escalating when officials allegedly barred his personal physician from the premises, a move the family described as a direct violation of his constitutional rights.
A statement released by the family had said when the former governor’s doctor arrived at the agency’s headquarters to review recent test results, he was unfortunately turned away by officers demanding written authorization from the ICPC chairman before such visit could be allowed.
They further claimed that this deliberate obstruction, combined with earlier restrictions on basic food deliveries, blatantly undermined an existing court order designed to guarantee El-Rufai’s right to proper healthcare.
The family statement further alleged when El-Rufai’s wife, Aichatou, arrived at the gates around 7 p.m., dinner in hand, she was promptly turned away and according to insider sources, the ICPC personnel, while blocking her entry, cited internal directives that barred any food deliveries after the 6:30 p.m. cutoff.
However, despite the family painting a grim picture of the alleged calculated restriction, the ICPC has firmly denied the allegations, dismissing them a “misleading narrative”
