The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed a security officer, Daniel Stephen, for allegedly helping one of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s wives gain unauthorised access to him while in custody.
Stephen, who was attached to the commission’s internal security team, was reportedly identified through CCTV footage as having facilitated the visit by Aichatou Assabe el-Rufai outside the approved procedure for visitors.
The incident allegedly occurred on Sunday, July 5, 2026, according to a handwritten statement submitted by Stephen to an investigative panel and seen by TheCable.
Stephen reportedly admitted in the statement that he took Assabe into the ICPC facility through a back entrance instead of following the commission’s visitor clearance process.
Sources within the commission said the officer drove her into the premises, escorted her upstairs to the section where El-Rufai was being held and later took her out through the same route.
According to the sources, Assabe spent about 15 minutes with her husband, during which she allegedly handed him a document, collected a black purse and discussed a court matter with him in Hausa.
An ICPC official quoted by TheCable said Stephen’s account indicated that he switched off a light at some point before the woman entered the room where El-Rufai was being held.
Stephen reportedly acknowledged that the visit breached established security procedures, which require visitors to register at the gate and obtain clearance from the head of the security unit before entering the facility.
“I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,” he wrote, according to the report, adding that his statement was made voluntarily and without coercion.
The dismissed officer also allegedly disclosed that his involvement with Assabe was not limited to the July incident.
Sources said Stephen recounted an earlier occasion when he assisted her further into the facility while her identity was being verified.
He also reportedly told investigators that a man who claimed to be El-Rufai’s biological brother later approached him, after which he allegedly helped the man gain entry through the same back entrance.
El-Rufai, who is facing trial over allegations involving money laundering and the conversion of public property, has been held by the ICPC since February 19 following his release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The development comes amid a legal dispute between the former governor and the anti-corruption agency.
In August, El-Rufai instituted a N10 billion lawsuit against the ICPC, accusing the commission of preventing his wife and son from accessing him while in detention. He is also seeking an apology and aggravated damages from the commission.
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