Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has appealed to United States President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and other international leaders to intervene over his continued detention, insisting that he deserves a fair trial.
El-Rufai made the appeal on Friday, marking his 256th day in detention.
In a post on his X account, the former governor called on international institutions, human rights organisations and foreign governments to pay attention to his legal predicament.
He maintained that access to justice and a fair hearing were fundamental human rights that should not be treated as privileges.
“A fair trial is not an act of mercy. It is not a privilege. It is a fundamental human right,” he said.
Under the hashtag #FairTrial, El-Rufai tagged Trump, Macron, the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, the European Union and the African Union.
He also mentioned the White House, the British government, the UK Parliament, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, The New York Times and The Economist.
The appeal came days after a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed his no-case submission in a criminal case instituted against him by the Department of State Services over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling on October 26, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require El-Rufai to enter his defence.
The case followed comments made by the former governor during an interview with Arise Television in February, in which he spoke about the alleged interception of Ribadu’s telephone conversations.
The DSS subsequently filed charges against him, which he denied.
The prosecution called two witnesses before closing its case.
El-Rufai had asked the court to discharge him without entering a defence, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
However, the court rejected his application and adjourned the matter until November 25 for the defence stage.
The former governor is also facing separate corruption and financial misconduct cases instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The allegations relate to transactions and decisions during his eight-year administration of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
The ICPC accused him of offences including money laundering, conversion and possession of public property, abuse of office, fraud and conferring undue advantage.
The commission also linked its investigation to a petition by the Kaduna State House of Assembly alleging financial misconduct involving about N432bn during his administration.
El-Rufai was initially taken into the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after honouring an invitation in February 2026.
He was subsequently transferred to the ICPC on February 18 over investigations into alleged money laundering and abuse of office.
The commission has maintained that his detention was authorised by a court.
He was briefly released on compassionate grounds in March to attend the burial of his mother, Hajiya Umma, who died while receiving medical treatment in Egypt.
He later returned to the commission’s custody.
His continued detention has also been the subject of several legal battles, particularly his applications for bail.
On October 9, the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed his appeal challenging the refusal of his second bail application by the Kaduna State High Court.
The three-member panel held unanimously that he failed to establish fresh facts or special circumstances warranting interference with the lower court’s decision.
The appellate court consequently upheld the Kaduna State High Court’s June 10 ruling refusing him bail.
His lawyers had argued that the offences were bailable and that his continued detention was affecting his ability to prepare his defence, including access to lawyers and witnesses.
The ICPC opposed the appeal, insisting that the lower court acted judicially in refusing the bail application.
El-Rufai, a prominent opposition figure and member of the African Democratic Congress, has repeatedly questioned the circumstances surrounding his arrest and investigation.
He has alleged that his ordeal is politically motivated, while maintaining his readiness to answer the allegations in court.
The ICPC, however, has defended its actions, insisting that its investigation and detention of the former governor were conducted in accordance with the law.
The allegations remain subject to determination by the courts.
