Human rights and anti-corruption activist Comrade Ibrahim Garba Wala, widely known as IG Wala, has issued a strong caution to the judiciary regarding what he describes as 'impossible bail conditions' imposed on former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. He is calling for an immediate review of these conditions.
Judiciary as Last Hope of Justice
In a statement released on Saturday in Abuja, Wala urged the judiciary and the presiding judges handling the matter to uphold their constitutional responsibility as the 'last hope of constitutional justice.' His remarks came in response to recent comments by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, who had alleged the weaponisation of bail conditions in the country.
Wala argued that courts and law enforcement agencies have increasingly transformed bail—originally a constitutional mechanism designed to ensure trial attendance—into a tool for punitive pre-trial detention. He stated that this trend is most evident in the ongoing judicial proceedings involving the former Kaduna State governor.
Stringent Conditions Criticised
According to Wala, 'The stringent, near-impossible conditions attached to El-Rufai's bail perfectly capture the institutional overreach condemned by the NBA leadership. Requiring multiple sureties who must be serving federal civil servants on Grade Level 17, demanding original Certificates of Occupancy for properties worth hundreds of millions of naira in areas like Maitama or Asokoro, and imposing restrictive check-ins at security headquarters create an insurmountable barrier to freedom.'
He referenced the Court of Appeal ruling in Dasuki v. DSS, arguing that expecting civil servants to provide high-value property sureties is 'not only a logistical absurdity but a violation of public service frameworks.' Wala further alleged that the conditions effectively prevent El-Rufai from meeting his bail requirements, describing it as 'judicial frustration' used to achieve what cannot be justified legally.
Psychological and Physical Attrition
'This amounts to the indefinite confinement of a citizen whose physical well-being is actively at risk. This is no longer about accountability; it has evolved into a strategy of psychological and physical attrition,' he added. While commending the NBA President for speaking out, the activist also noted that El-Rufai's tenure as governor of Kaduna State was defined by bold governance reforms, which he said inevitably created powerful adversaries.
He claimed that 'credible insights from political analysts' suggest a convergence of interests among political actors and elements within the security architecture who are allegedly exploiting the situation to settle historical grievances. According to him, this has transformed what should be a transparent legal process into a 'proxy war driven by vendetta.'
Call for Immediate Review
Wala therefore called for an immediate review of El-Rufai's bail conditions, urging that they be adjusted to 'realistic and achievable parameters that do not require turning civil servants into real estate guarantors.' He also called on the leadership of the DSS, ICPC, and the Federal Government to 'neutralise sectarian and political influences' within enforcement institutions and ensure accountability.
Finally, he urged respect for the presumption of innocence, warning against treating an unconvicted individual as a convicted offender. 'If Malam Nasir El-Rufai is allowed to suffer a silent, systematic breakdown in custody under the guise of impossible bail, it will mark a serious blow to constitutional liberty in Nigeria. The world is watching,' he said.
