NSCIA alleges religious bias in El-Rufai prosecution

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, has raised the alarm over what it described as signs of religious bias in the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State governor, Nasiru El-Rufai, warning against the weaponisation of public institutions and the legal system for a sectarian agenda against him.

The council, which had deliberately stayed out of the controversy until now, said recent developments had raised concerns that the case might no longer be viewed simply as a routine judicial process.

In a statement by its Secretary-General, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, on behalf of the council, the NSCIA explained that its earlier silence was based on its belief that El-Rufai’s prosecution, like those involving other political figures, was a standard judicial process.

“The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has persistently refrained from commenting on the controversy surrounding the ongoing prosecutions of His Excellency, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, or any political figure.

“The restraint was because the Council hitherto considered the prosecution as a standard judicial process and that the Judiciary has inherent capacity to uphold justice,” the council said.

But Oloyede said the council’s position had changed following recent developments in the public domain.

“Consequently, the Council calls upon the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Judiciary to ensure that individuals with vested religious interests are strictly prevented from weaponizing public institutions or the legal system to execute a sectarian agenda against him,” the council said.

The Islamic body also urged members of the public to refrain from comments capable of prejudicing El-Rufai’s fair trial or worsening the country’s security situation.

It stressed the need for peace, stability and security in Nigeria, even as it expressed concern over what it described as the possible intrusion of religious considerations into the matter.

The intervention by the NSCIA comes amid the ongoing legal proceedings involving the former Kaduna governor, which has already attracted significant public attention.