ICPC confirms El-Rufai’s rearrest after release from EFCC custody

Mr El-Rufai was granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday but was immediately taken into custody by armed operatives stationed at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, according to witnesses.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed the rearrest of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is in its custody, hours after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday.

“Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the Commission in connection with ongoing investigations,” ICPC spokesperson John Odey wrote in a message shared on a journalist’s Whatsapp group Wednesday night.

Mr El-Rufai was detained by the EFCC on Monday over corruption allegations.

He was granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday but was immediately taken into custody by armed operatives stationed at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, according to witnesses.

Conflicting accounts initially emerged over the identity of the arresting agency. While some sources said operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) carried out the action, others pointed to the ICPC.

ICPC later confirmed it was responsible.

The development comes amid separate cybercrime charges filed against Mr El-Rufai by the SSS at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, followed remarks he made during a live interview on Arise Television on Friday, in which he alleged that the phone of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was tapped.

Mr El-Rufai claimed he overheard Mr Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport last Thursday after his return from Cairo, Egypt.

Security officials briefly confiscated his international passport during the airport encounter, witnesses said, before allowing him to leave the premises.

In response to the interview, SSS prosecutors charged Mr El-Rufai with unlawful interception of communications and related offences.

The prosecution alleged that he admitted intercepting the NSA’s communications, failed to report unlawful interceptions by others, and compromised public safety and national security.

Backstory

Mr El-Rufai’s arrest came amid fast-paced developments following his recent return to the country from Cairo, Egypt.

It started last Thursday when security operatives attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt.

Videos circulating online showed a brief confrontation between security personnel and the former governor’s entourage. His international passport was reportedly confiscated during the encounter.

Mr El-Rufai later alleged that the arrest attempt was carried out at the instruction of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, through the State Security Service (SSS).

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, he claimed that the NSA’s phone was allegedly tapped, allowing him to hear instructions to detain him.

Mr El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, condemned the attempted arrest, describing it as arbitrary and in violation of constitutional rights.

According to him, the EFCC invitation was delivered to Mr El-Rufai’s residence while he was abroad, making immediate compliance impractical.

The lawyer said his client had formally communicated with the EFCC to ensure voluntary attendance upon his return, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday.

Mr Akpan further demanded the immediate return of Mr El-Rufai’s passport, describing its seizure as an infringement on his dignity, freedom of movement, and constitutional rights.

He warned that legal action would be taken against any unlawful attempts at detention.

On Monday, the State Security Service (SSS) filed cybercrime charges against Mr El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

Mr El-Rufai has faced mounting scrutiny since leaving office, including allegations of diverting N423 billion in public funds.

In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly demanded investigations into his administration.

He has also been summoned by the ICPC for questioning.

The former governor previously backed President Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate in 2023. Mr Tinubu won the presidential election and was subsequently inaugurated to office in May 2023.

Both he and the president parted ways politically, with Mr El Rufai becoming Mr Tinubu’s fierce critic after the president’s initial move to appoint the former Kaduna State governor as a minister fell through.

Mr El-Rufai has since joined the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), vowing to work with like-minded politicians to ensure Mr Tinubu is not re-elected in 2027.

Mr El-Rufai’s lawyers have not issued a statement on his latest detention by the ICPC as of press time.