‘Malami Asked Me to Bring Him Out of Detention, El-Rufai Wants to Reach Out’ – Sowore Claims

Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore has commented on the ongoing detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, by Nigerian authorities.
Both men are under investigation by the federal government over alleged corruption and security-related offences. El-Rufai experienced a nosebleed while in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and that the anti-graft agency reportedly barred his wife from personally handing him food on February 17.
El-Rufai had voluntarily surrendered to the EFCC on February 16 following an invitation from the agency. On February 18, custody of the former governor was transferred to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The agencies are probing alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as Kaduna governor from 2015 to 2023. In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly accused him of misappropriating N423 billion in public funds and money laundering, prompting calls for an anti-corruption investigation.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is also prosecuting Malami over alleged illegal possession of firearms and terrorism financing.
Sowore said Malami reached out to him and his legal team to pressure the government for his release from Kuje Prison. “Malami sent people to me and our lawyer to come and bring him out. He suddenly found out that we are the most credible people around,” Sowore claimed.
On El-Rufai’s situation, Sowore noted: “I’m sure El-Rufai must have been looking for a way to reach out, because all this shouting about nose bleeding is to get sympathy. I’m not saying that his nose is not bleeding, and I call on the government to stop it. They must give him good doctors or take him to Kaduna to go to the hospital he built.”
Sowore further reflected on the broader context of power and accountability: “If you are in power—governor, head of state, president, vice president, senators—you should take care of the prisons in case you find yourselves there. I’m surprised that his nose is bleeding at the ICPC. When did his nose start bleeding? When he was governor, was his nose bleeding? But I’m not making fun of him, because I don’t support any form of impunity against anybody.
“But even while condemning impunity, we must also not let history invade us by reminding ourselves that these guys created the monsters that are now consuming them,” he added.