Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has said the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, should be considered alongside the former governor’s record while in office, alleging that several people were arrested and detained during his administration.
Sani made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, where he also reflected on his own experience of spending more than four years in detention as a pro-democracy activist.
The former lawmaker said he understood the difficulties associated with prolonged detention but argued that public officials should remember that political power is temporary and that decisions taken while in office can later attract scrutiny.
“When you are in office, always remind yourself that it is an opportunity and it is a very temporary opportunity for you,” he said.
“El-Rufai is paying the price of his and his irresponsibility when he was in public office,” Sani added.
Sani also addressed reports that El-Rufai had lost some relationships and political support during his time in detention, saying such changes could occur when individuals are no longer in positions of influence.
“I think he is in detention for, like they say, 200 days or something like that. For someone like me, who has been in prison for four years, I don’t think anyone can lecture me on detention, on the pains of imprisonment,” he said.
“But it is natural, when you are out of circulation, you are bound to lose friends. You are bound to see things differently from the way you are.”
El-Rufai has been in custody since February 2026 and is facing legal proceedings in separate matters. In one of the cases involving alleged interception of telephone communications, a Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 26 to rule on his no-case submission. El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sani alleged that El-Rufai’s administration, which lasted from 2015 to 2023, was characterised by what he described as “misgovernance, irresponsible leadership, and the use of statecraft to attack and jail opponents.”
He cited several instances in which, according to him, critics, journalists and other individuals were arrested or detained during the former governor’s tenure.
The former senator also criticised the security situation in Southern Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration, arguing that communities in the area had experienced prolonged insecurity and that the state government did not do enough to support security agencies.
“If you look at it, 80 per cent of those who are commenting have never been to Southern Kaduna. They don’t know where Sanga is. They don’t know where Kauru is. They don’t know where Kachia is,” he said.
Sani further questioned the effectiveness of the security measures adopted by the former administration.
“If he has done anything, the bloodshed would not have been worse as they were,” he said.
He also accused the former governor of inconsistency in his approach to banditry, referring to reports of negotiations between the Kaduna State Government and bandits during El-Rufai’s tenure.
Recalling the case of journalist Luka Binyat, Sani said the journalist was arrested after reporting on alleged payments to bandits by the Kaduna State Government.
“It came from the lips of the former governor that they pay bandits not to kill,” Sani said.
Shehu Sani’s comments come amid continuing political debate over El-Rufai’s detention and his record as Kaduna governor. While some political figures have described his detention as politically motivated, the former senator has offered a contrasting account, focusing on allegations concerning the former governor’s conduct while in office.
