El-Rufai's Doctor Arrested Over Fake Medical Visit

The ICPC has arrested Professor Bello Abubakar, the personal physician to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, for allegedly making false statements during a court-approved medical visit that turned out to be a political meeting. According to the Commission's statement released on Tuesday, El-Rufai was supposed to appear before the Kaduna State High Court on July 6 for the accelerated hearing of criminal charges against him, but he refused to attend, insisting he needed to consult his doctor first.

The court approved the medical visit, and the ICPC took him to the National Hospital Abuja on July 7. But while ICPC officers waited outside the consultation room, one of El-Rufai's political associates, Isa Ashiru Kudan, posted photographs on Facebook around 2pm showing that they had "just concluded a meeting" with the former governor. The images showed Professor Abubakar, Kudan, and three other individuals with El-Rufai during what was supposed to be a medical consultation with an oncologist.

The ICPC said this was a clear violation of the court order, and they have now arrested Professor Abubakar for making false statements. They also said they will formally draw the court's attention to El-Rufai's "flagrant disobedience" of the court order. The case has been adjourned until July 15 to hear El-Rufai's application seeking the recusal of the trial judge. My question is simple: if the court approved a medical visit and the ICPC respected the process, why would El-Rufai's team use that opportunity to hold a political meeting and then post evidence of it online? Are they testing the limits of how much they can get away with before the law finally catches up with them?