Islamic Council Breaks Silence On El-Rufai's Continued Detention

• The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs broke its silence on the detention of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai
• The council's statement came after Defence Minister Christopher Musa publicly linked El-Rufai to killings in Southern Kaduna
• El-Rufai's family issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Defence Minister to either provide evidence or retract his claims

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has alleged that external and religious forces are driving the prolonged detention of former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

The NSCIA called on the Federal Government and the judiciary to prevent any sectarian agenda from influencing the case.

The council's Secretary-General, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, said the NSCIA had deliberately avoided commenting on the matter.

Oloyede said the Islamic council had previously viewed the prosecution as a routine judicial process but recent public developments, however, forced a change in that position.

As reported by Daily Trust, he made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

What triggered the NSCIA statement

The council's intervention followed remarks by Minister of Defence General Christopher Musa (rtd.), who in a recent interview alleged that El-Rufai had planned killings in Southern Kaduna.

Musa described the security situation in the state during El-Rufai's tenure from 2015 to 2023 as "toxic" and said residents of Southern Kaduna remained deeply aggrieved over the violence recorded in the area under his watch.

He further argued that the former governor's actions deepened divisions and worsened insecurity in Kaduna State.

El-Rufai's family swiftly rejected the allegations in a statement signed by his eldest son, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai.

The former governor's family said it was "seriously concerned" by the Defence Minister's comments and gave him seven days to either produce evidence supporting every claim or issue a public retraction.

NSCIA calls for protection of legal process

The NSCIA said the Defence Minister's remarks and the wider public discourse had raised "serious concerns that strongly suggest an extraneous involvement of an underlying religious bias against the former Governor."

The council called on federal authorities and the judiciary to ensure that "individuals with vested religious interests are strictly prevented from weaponising public institutions or the legal system to execute a sectarian agenda against him."

The NSCIA also urged members of the public to avoid inflammatory comments that could compromise the fairness of El-Rufai's trial or worsen the country's security climate, closing the statement with a prayer: "May Almighty Allah grant peace, stability, and security to Nigeria."

Sharia Council reacts to El-Rufai's detention

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Council for Shari'ah in Nigeria voiced concern over El-Rufai's continued detention.

The former Kaduna governor is facing separate charges from the ICPC and DSS over alleged fraud, abuse of office, and unlawful phone tapping.

The Council urged authorities to follow due process and warned that arbitrary actions could erode public trust in Nigerian institutions.