…“We released El-Rufai today, but he was picked up by the ICPC shortly after,” a source disclosed.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, was on Wednesday released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but was immediately taken into custody by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Sources within the EFCC confirmed on Wednesday night that the former Kaduna State governor had been freed but was shortly rearrested by the ICPC.
El-Rufai had reported to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 10 a.m. on Monday for questioning and remained in custody until Wednesday.
“We released him today, but he was picked up by the ICPC shortly after,” a source disclosed.
Attempts to get an official reaction from the ICPC were unsuccessful, as calls to its spokesman, John Odey, went unanswered.
His counsel, A. U. Mustapha (SAN), declined to confirm or deny the development when contacted. “It is too late to talk. Let’s talk tomorrow,” he said.
Efforts to reach his media aide, Muyiwa Adeleye, were also unsuccessful as his phone line was unreachable.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly been on standby for El-Rufai’s arraignment over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The case is also linked to the reopened investigation into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
On Monday, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting Ribadu’s phone communications.
The three-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was instituted under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The government alleged that during a February 13, 2026 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that an associate unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations and that he listened to them.
In the first count, the prosecution alleged that he admitted to unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s communications, contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Act. The second count accused him of associating with someone who carried out the interception without reporting it, in violation of Section 27(b) of the Act.
The third count alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment in Abuja in 2026 to unlawfully intercept the NSA’s communications, contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act.
The charges followed remarks he made on Arise TV last Friday, where he claimed he became aware of an alleged plot to arrest him through a leaked conversation from the NSA’s phone.
“Ribadu made the call because we listened to their calls. The government thinks they are the only ones who listen to calls. But we also have our ways,” he had said.
Separately, the DSS has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State, who was reportedly abducted from his Kaduna residence on August 1, 2019, and has not been seen since.
A security source also disclosed that the DSS recently confiscated El-Rufai’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent him from travelling abroad.
Another source said investigators were reviewing social media posts made by his sons, Bello and Bashir, after Dadiyata’s disappearance.
“Although El-Rufai claimed he did not know anyone named Dadiyata until the incident, posts by his sons suggest otherwise. They will be invited to assist with the investigation,” the source added.
