Sanusi: El-Rufai’s Prolonged Detention Is Raising Questions Nigerians Cannot Ignore

Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II has questioned the handling of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s prolonged detention, asking whether the case reflects Nigeria’s fight against corruption or a deeper political contest.

Sanusi raised the issue while examining the country’s broader anti-corruption efforts, arguing that the existence of laws alone cannot guarantee accountability.

The emir spoke on Monday during an interview with Channels Television in Lagos, where he attended the launch of The Unexplained Wealth Trilogy, a book by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Wahab Shittu.

His concern centred on the gap between Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws and the institutions responsible for enforcing them.

Sanusi argued that investigative agencies, prosecutors and the courts must operate effectively and consistently if the public is to have confidence in the system.

He also pointed to the influence of political connections, recalling instances where corruption cases involving politically connected individuals appeared to lose momentum or were abandoned.

“We have seen in this country people who are facing corruption charges who basically just get those charges dropped because they belong to the right political environment or have the right political support,” he noted.

El-Rufai’s detention

Sanusi brought El-Rufai’s case into the discussion as an example of the questions surrounding the application of Nigeria’s anti-corruption process.

The former Kaduna governor is facing corruption and money laundering-related allegations and remains involved in ongoing legal proceedings.

According to Sanusi, El-Rufai had been denied bail and spent seven months in detention without a conviction.

“An example is my brother, Nasir el-Rufai, who’s been denied bail. He’s been in detention for seven months, not having been convicted for anything,” he stated.

The emir’s intervention was not a determination of El-Rufai’s guilt or innocence. Rather, he used the former governor’s circumstances to question how Nigerians perceive the country’s justice and anti-corruption systems.

That concern produced his most pointed question during the interview:

“So people begin to wonder, is this really a fight against corruption, or is it a political battle?”

Beyond stronger laws

Sanusi maintained that changing or strengthening legislation would not, by itself, resolve Nigeria’s corruption problem.

The greater challenge, in his view, lies in ensuring that the institutions created to enforce those laws function independently and consistently.

“Until the politicians and those who control political office and the judiciary decide that they are going to use these laws for the purpose for which they are set up, we’re not going to get anywhere,” he observed.

He also called attention to the role of the judiciary and other institutions in determining whether anti-corruption laws achieve their intended purpose.

“The laws are one thing, and I think it’s a good thing that we’re looking at the laws, but we also have to look at the institutions that are involved in the structure of the law,” Sanusi added.

His comments have placed renewed attention on the questions surrounding El-Rufai’s detention, particularly the relationship between pre-trial detention, bail, due process and the enforcement of corruption laws.

El-Rufai remains entitled to due process as his case proceeds through the courts. The allegations against him have not resulted in a conviction.

Sanusi’s broader argument is that public confidence in Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign will depend not simply on how many laws are enacted, but on whether those laws are applied consistently across political and social divides.