LAGOS, NIGERIA (NPA): Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has criticized calls for the release of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai over reported health concerns in detention. The appeal was made by El-Rufai’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, who disclosed that the former minister was experiencing nosebleeds.
In a Facebook post titled “So El-Rufai’s Family Want Him Released Because of a Common Nosebleed?” Omokri dismissed the claims, noting that nosebleeds are common among Nigerians during the Harmattan season. He argued that El-Rufai should be “thankful he is alive, eating, and has access to his lawyers and medications,” contrasting his situation with that of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
Dadiyata, a Nigerian academic and social media critic, was abducted outside his home in Kaduna on August 2, 2019, and has not been seen since. Omokri stressed that El-Rufai’s family should consider the plight of Dadiyata’s wife, Khadija Ahmad Lame, and their two daughters, who have lived in trauma since his disappearance.
Omokri further alleged that El-Rufai himself bears responsibility for his current detention, referencing an Arise TV interview in which the former governor admitted knowing at least one police officer linked to Dadiyata’s disappearance. He suggested that the officer should be detained alongside El-Rufai for interrogation.
Dismissing the severity of El-Rufai’s condition, Omokri recalled that under his administration, prominent figures such as Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky suffered grave abuses in detention, while journalists including Luka Biniyat, Midat Joseph, Jacob Dickson, Sunny Yayock, and Stephen Kefas, as well as lawyer and music mogul Audu Maikori, were also detained.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over El-Rufai’s health, warning that the government would be held accountable should his condition worsen.
