The family of Prof Usman Yusuf, a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), has turned to the United States government for urgent diplomatic intervention, alleging that his continued detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is politically motivated.
In separate letters addressed to US authorities, Prof Yusuf’s wife, Iftikar Abdallah Yusuf, and his three sons—Abdullah, Adnan, and Luqman—pleaded for help in securing his release from the Kuje Correctional Facility in Abuja, where he is currently being held.
The embattled professor, who served as NHIA boss from 2016 to 2019, is facing a five-count charge of alleged financial misconduct, including approving the procurement of a vehicle for N49 million—far exceeding the budgeted N30 million. He has denied all charges and pleaded not guilty in court.
In a letter dated February 18, 2025, and addressed to the US Embassy, Iftikar Yusuf detailed what she described as a gross violation of her husband’s rights by Nigerian authorities.
“My husband’s constitutionally guaranteed rights have been repeatedly violated by President Bola Tinubu’s government,” she wrote. “He was forcefully abducted from his home by heavily armed men of the EFCC without a formal invitation to appear before the commission. They took him without an arrest warrant, denied him access to phone calls, and have refused to grant him bail.”
She further accused the authorities of using his detention as a means of political intimidation, citing his outspoken criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies.
“I am afraid that he will not receive a fair trial,” she stated. “His abduction and incarceration in Kuje Prison are nothing but political persecution because he has been a vocal critic of President Tinubu’s economic policies that have inflicted unbearable hardships on Nigerians.”
Iftikar, emphasising that her family holds dual Nigerian-American citizenship, urged the US government to intervene by ensuring her husband receives consular support and a fair legal process.
Meanwhile, Prof Yusuf’s three sons directed their plea to Senator Richard J. Durbin, the US senator representing Chicago, Illinois. Their letter, also dated February 18, echoed their mother’s concerns and emphasized the dire state of their father’s health.
“Our father has been denied access to his doctors despite his medical condition,” they wrote. “We are deeply worried about his well-being as he remains in detention without due process.”
Like their mother, the children insisted that their father’s prosecution was politically motivated, stating:
“Our father’s abduction and detention by the EFCC, denial of bail, and incarceration in Kuje Prison are nothing but political persecution because he has been a vocal critic of President Tinubu’s economic policies.”
Prof Yusuf, a well-known public health expert, was first appointed NHIA boss in 2016 but was suspended in 2018 amid allegations of corruption. He was later reinstated by the Buhari administration before his eventual removal in 2019.
His ongoing trial has been adjourned until February 27, 2025, with Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu expected to rule on his bail application. Until then, he remains in detention.
While the EFCC maintains that the charges against him are strictly financial crimes, his family and supporters argue that his ordeal is linked to his vocal opposition to the current administration.
