The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has confirmed that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is in its custody in connection with an ongoing investigation.
The commission made the disclosure in a statement issued late on Wednesday, February 18, signed by its spokesperson and Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) writes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai the former Governor of Kaduna state is in our custody. Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the Commission in connection with investigations,” Odey said.
The ICPC did not provide details about the specific nature of the investigation or indicate how long El-Rufai would remain in custody.
The development marks a significant escalation in the legal troubles facing the former governor, who has been at the centre of a growing confrontation with the federal government in recent weeks.
El-Rufai’s detention by the ICPC comes on the heels of his earlier questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over matters reportedly connected to alleged financial dealings running into ₦432 billion during his time as Kaduna governor between 2015 and 2023.
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Although the EFCC did not formally disclose details of its inquiry, sources indicated that the questioning was part of a broader anti-corruption review of projects and financial transactions carried out under El-Rufai’s administration.
The former governor had last week condemned what he described as an illegal attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
His lawyer alleged that agents of the Department of State Services moved to detain him without presenting a warrant and seized his international passport during the encounter.
El-Rufai had also claimed on national television that he listened to a tapped phone conversation in which National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu allegedly ordered his arrest, a claim the presidency demanded be fully investigated.
Neither El-Rufai nor his legal team had issued a response to the ICPC’s statement as of the time this report was filed.