El-Rufai Spends Second Night In ICPC Custody As Lawyers Condemn House Raid

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, spent a second consecutive night in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday, amid protests from his legal team over a search of his residence.

According to reports, El-Rufai was initially detained on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and released late Wednesday. He was, however, immediately taken into ICPC custody, where he has remained.

An ICPC official confirmed El-Rufai’s continued detention but declined to disclose the nature of the investigation. “He is still very much with us. I cannot say the offence he is being investigated for. I was informed that the former Kaduna State governor is still with us,” the source stated.

The ICPC had earlier confirmed taking El-Rufai into custody on Wednesday night but also withheld details of the probe. Unverified reports have suggested the investigation may be connected to the failed N11.1 billion Joint Venture Kaduna light rail project, though attempts to independently confirm this were unsuccessful. Repeated messages to the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, were not returned.

Meanwhile, El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed on that ICPC operatives conducted a search of the former governor’s residence on Aso Drive, Abuja. His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, condemned the search, describing it as unlawful and a violation of due process. “The Aso Drive residence of Malam Nasir @elrufai was today searched by the ICPC. Ubong Akpan, Malam El-Rufai’s lawyer, condemned the action as unlawful and a clear violation of legal procedures and fundamental rights,” Adekeye stated.

Prior to his detention, El-Rufai had communicated through his lawyers his willingness to respond to an ICPC invitation on Tuesday. This followed an incident at the airport where his passport was reportedly seized by operatives of the Department of State Services.