The wife of former Kaduna State Governor, Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, has made an emotional appeal to President Bola Tinubu. Asiya recently pleaded for what she described as fair treatment for the detained former governor, and Nigerians have been reacting.
Reminding BAT of the support she and her husband gave his 2023 presidential campaign leading to his victory, she alleged that El-Rufai, who she said was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and High Blood Sugar level, has been denied access to medical treatment.
Asiya added that her family is not asking Tinubu to halt the prosecution of Nasir, but to ensure that he enjoys the constitutional rights available to every Nigerian.
Her words, “Mr. President Sir, I campaigned for you. I stood up and went to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State for you. My husband stood by your side. Is this what our family deserves? The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father and we know you can empathise.
Please let him go free. I am not asking you to tell them not to prosecute him, but we are asking you to allow him the basic human rights that the Constitution you swore to uphold and defend guarantees. Let them give him the bail that he can afford. If he is guilty, let the court decide; if he is innocent, let the court decide.
We, the family, are traumatised. We live in constant fear that we will wake up and hear some bad news.
I honestly think that what they are doing is more about psychological warfare against Malam and against his family. If they humiliate us, dehumanise us and put us in constant fear, they feel that affects Malam.”
We were told that orders from ‘above’ said Professor Bello Abubakar cannot have access to anybody for 24 hours. Who is the ‘above’?
We do not shy away from defending ourselves, but we want a fair trial. We want an opportunity to be heard. Malam cannot adequately prepare for his defence while he remains in custody and has limited access to his lawyers.
We are only asking that he be given the basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Let him be granted bail on reasonable terms. If he is guilty, let the court decide. If he is innocent, let the court also decide.”
