El-Rufai Released By EFCC, Immediately Detained By ICPC

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday after days of questioning. However, shortly after his release, he was reportedly taken into custody by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to sources familiar with the matter, El-Rufai arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday morning and remained in their custody until Wednesday. A source within the commission confirmed that while he was released by the EFCC, ICPC operatives took him into custody almost immediately. El-Rufai’s lawyer, A. U. Mustapha (SAN), declined to comment on the matter, stating it was too late to discuss the development.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of the communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The charges, filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, allege that El-Rufai admitted during a television interview to listening to intercepted phone calls of the NSA and associating with individuals who carried out the interceptions without notifying authorities.

The prosecution alleges that El-Rufai, along with others still at large, used technical equipment in Abuja to unlawfully intercept communications, an offense under Nigerian law. In the interview, El-Rufai reportedly stated that the government was not the only entity capable of listening to calls.

Separately, the Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State. Security sources indicated that El-Rufai’s passport was recently seized at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent travel abroad, and social media activity from his sons, Bello and Bashir, is being scrutinized for potential links to the case.