Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, but was shortly thereafter taken into custody by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
El-Rufai had arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday morning for questioning and remained in their custody until his release on Wednesday. Sources confirmed that ICPC operatives promptly took him into custody following the EFCC release. Efforts to obtain an official statement from the ICPC were unsuccessful.
The former governor faces criminal charges filed by the Federal Government before the Federal High Court in Abuja, relating to the alleged unlawful interception of phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. The reopened investigation into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, also known as Dadiyata, is ongoing.
The charges, filed under case FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, cite violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. They allege that El-Rufai admitted on television that an associate unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications, that he was aware of such activity and did not report it, and that he and others used technical equipment to intercept communications in Abuja in 2026.
El-Rufai had claimed during an Arise TV interview on February 13 that he learned of a plan to arrest him through a leaked conversation from the NSA’s phone. He asserted that his team also monitored communications, saying, “The government thinks they are the only ones who listen to calls. But we also have our ways.”
Separately, the Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, who was reportedly abducted from his residence in Kaduna. Security sources indicate that El-Rufai’s passport was seized at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent international travel, and social media posts by his sons, Bello and Bashir, are being examined in connection with the case.
Investigators plan to interview Bello and Bashir to clarify their potential involvement and any information relevant to the ongoing inquiries.
