ICPC detains El-Rufai after release by EFCC

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai was on Wednesday released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but was subsequently taken into custody by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), according to sources familiar with the development.

Sources within the EFCC confirmed that El-Rufai, who arrived at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday for questioning, was released on Wednesday before being picked up by the ICPC for further interrogation.

Attempts to obtain official confirmation from the ICPC were unsuccessful, as calls to its spokesperson, John Odey, were not answered. El-Rufai’s lawyer, A. U. Mustapha, declined to comment on the matter when contacted.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) was said to be on standby ahead of El-Rufai’s arraignment over allegations involving unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The Federal Government had earlier filed criminal charges against the former governor at the Federal High Court, accusing him of admitting during a television interview that he listened to intercepted communications linked to the NSA. The three counts, filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, include unlawful interception, association with individuals involved in the act and the use of technical equipment to access private communications.

The charges stem from comments El-Rufai reportedly made during an appearance on Arise TV, where he suggested that he became aware of an alleged plan to arrest him through a leaked phone conversation.

Separately, security agencies have reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, widely known as Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma who was declared missing after gunmen reportedly abducted him from his residence in Kaduna.

A security source said the DSS recently seized El-Rufai’s passport at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent him from travelling abroad, while investigators are also reviewing social media posts by his sons as part of the ongoing probe.