…El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, described the search as unlawful and a breach of due process and fundamental rights.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Thursday spent a second consecutive night in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, as his lawyers protested the search of his residence.
El-Rufai was first arrested on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and released late Wednesday, only to be immediately re-arrested by the ICPC, where he has remained.
Before his detention, he had written to the ICPC through his legal team, expressing readiness to honour an invitation scheduled for Tuesday. The development came after operatives of the Department of State Services reportedly seized his passport at an airport.
An ICPC official confirmed Thursday night that the former governor was still in the commission’s custody but declined to reveal details of the allegations.
“He is still with us. I cannot state the offence under investigation. I have not been fully briefed, but I was informed that the former Kaduna State governor remains in our custody,” the source said.
Although the ICPC earlier acknowledged taking him into custody on Wednesday night, it also withheld information about the specific offence being investigated.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the investigation may be connected to the controversial N11.1bn Joint Venture Kaduna light rail project, but independent verification was not successful.
Efforts to reach the ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.
Meanwhile, El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed on X that ICPC operatives searched the former governor’s residence on Aso Drive in Abuja.
According to him, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, described the search as unlawful and a breach of due process and fundamental rights.
“The Aso Drive residence of Malam Nasir @elrufai was searched today by the ICPC. Ubong Akpan, Malam El-Rufai’s lawyer, condemned the action as illegal and a violation of legal procedures and fundamental rights,” Adekeye wrote on X.
