Activist Demands Review of El-Rufai's Bail Conditions

Activist Ibrahim Garba Wala has cautioned the judiciary regarding the stringent bail conditions imposed on former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, labeling them as nearly impossible and demanding an immediate review. Wala's comments were made in response to a statement from Mazi Afam Osigwe, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which expressed concerns over the increasing transformation of bail conditions into punitive measures that lead to pre-trial incarceration.

Wala criticized the requirement for multiple sureties from civil servants at a high grade level and the demand for properties worth hundreds of millions of naira as collateral, which he described as absurd and a violation of public service frameworks. He argued that such conditions create insurmountable barriers to freedom and reflect a dangerous trend in the judiciary.

Wala emphasized that indefinite confinement of citizens, particularly those like El-Rufai, who have a history of political reform, undermines constitutional liberties in Nigeria.