By Suleiman Anyalewechi
As condemnations and public outrage continue to trail the unending detention of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, the Sultan of Sokoto Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu and all the relevant authorities to either file charges against him or release him.
The source reports that El-Rufai who is facing inter-agency investigations on multiple charges bordering on alleged money laundering, diversion of public funds and security related Offences, has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, since February 18, 2026, when he was granted bail by a sister agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.
In a sermon online, fiery and outspoken Muslim scholar and Cleric, Sheikh Sunusi Khalil informed that Sultan Abubakar has sued for respect for the rule of law and due process in the handling of El-Rufai’s case.
According to the Kaduna-based prominent Islamic preacher, the leader of the Muslim Community in Nigeria is demanding that the former Kaduna State Governor should either be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction if there is a prima facie case established against him, and be granted bail while investigations continue.
” The Sultan is not saying that suspected offenders should not face the law; rather his position is that due process should be followed”, Sheikh Khalil stated.
The Cleric who, a couple months ago was a guest of the Department of State Service, DSS, over alleged incendiary and inflammatory sermons, also relayed the Sultan’s serious concern over the growing presence of the United States of America’s troops in Northern Nigeria.
According to Khalil, the Sultan’s concern is centred on the ambiguous roles of the foreign troops in the country, particularly the failure of the authorities to properly explain if the USA troops are going to be limited to the training of Nigerian security personnel, or a military base is going to be established for them.
“If a base is going to be established for them ( USA troops) why the Northern Nigeria?” the Sultan was quoted as quering.
This is as Sheikh Khalil expressed his total support for the positions of the Sultan.
“We, at our level, can’t pose such hard questions, because it can be misconstrued or perceived as being disrespectful; but I am happy that the Sultan is asking the right questions ,and in that case, he will always have our support and prayers”, Sheikh Khalil noted.
Although details of the meeting between the Sultan and President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa on March 15, 2026, is not public, sources revealed that the twin issues of the continued detention of El-Rufai and the presence of the USA troops in the country topped the agenda.
This Magazine gathered that Sultan Abubakar clearly expressed the concern of the Northern region over the fate of El-Rufai and others, the presence of American troops, and other burning issues during his less than half an hour parley with the president.
Sheikh Khalil’s disclosure, however, is coming on the heels of attempts by the ICPC to explain away its continued detention of El-Rufai without trial.
In a statement on Tuesday March 17, 2026, from its spokesperson John Odey, the anti-graft Commission while debunking reports suggesting that it is shopping for a new remand order, insisted that El-Rufai is being held under a subsisting court order.
According to the ICPC, the former Kaduna state Governor is being held under a 14-day remand order secured on March 5, 2026, which will run out on March 19, 2026.
The Commission emphasized that its appearance in court on March 17, 2026, was not for the purpose of renewing the remand order as widely reported in the media, but for the hearing of an application filed by El-Rufai seeking to invalidate the remand extension granted by the court on March 5.
The ICPC’s statement informed that during court proceedings, the Commission’s response was served on El-Rufai’s counsel, whose request for time to study same led to the court’s adjournment to March 31, 2026.
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