Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission shortly after his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
El-Rufai had spent three days in EFCC custody over an alleged N432 billion corruption probe before the ICPC moved in.
According to reports, the former governor was initially invited for questioning at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. He arrived around 10 a.m. Monday and was interrogated over a 2024 report that alleged misappropriation of loans and violations of due process in contract awards during his administration.
“The commission has been investigating him for about a year now. As a commission, we don’t just rush to invite suspects. Persons accused are always the last; that is after we might have done our investigation to an advanced stage.
“We are investigating him on the allegations against him by the Kaduna State Assembly,” a senior EFCC source said.
When asked late Monday night whether El-Rufai would be released, the source responded, “He is still in our custody and wouldn’t be released today (Monday).”
The interrogation stemmed from a report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s ad hoc committee, constituted in 2024 to investigate finances, loans and contracts awarded between 2015 and 2023 under El-Rufai’s administration.
Presenting the report during plenary last year, committee chairman Henry Zacharia alleged that most of the loans obtained within the eight-year period were not used for the purposes for which they were secured.
While receiving the report, Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman alleged that about N423 billion was siphoned under El-Rufai’s administration, leaving Kaduna State with heavy financial liabilities and a rising debt profile.
The committee recommended the investigation and prosecution of the former governor and several cabinet members over alleged abuse of office, award of contracts without due process, diversion of public funds, money laundering and reckless borrowing.
Beyond the N423 billion allegation, the legislative report referenced disputed cash payments and contracts totaling more than N155 million, as well as the alleged diversion of N1.37 billion earmarked for a light rail project. It also cited the purported laundering of N64.8 million by senior aides.
El-Rufai has consistently denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated. He maintains that all loans obtained during his tenure were duly appropriated and applied to infrastructural development, education reforms, health care upgrades and security interventions.
Shortly after his release from EFCC custody, the ICPC took him in for further questioning. The development reportedly occurred Wednesday, though his lawyer, A.U. Mustapha (SAN), has yet to issue an official confirmation. Calls to his media aide, Muyiwa Adeleye, were not returned as of press time.
The former governor is also facing separate allegations involving the alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. On Monday, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the matter.
In addition, the Department of State Services has reportedly reopened its investigation into the 2019 disappearance of social media critic and lecturer Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, who was abducted in Kaduna State.
El-Rufai has denied any involvement in the disappearance and said he had no prior knowledge of Idris before the abduction. However, scrutiny has intensified following resurfaced social media posts allegedly linked to his sons, Bello and Bashir.
As of now, his sons have reportedly been invited for questioning, while El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody pending further developments.
Thejour.com will provide updates as the story unfolds.
