Former Kaduna State Gov. Nasir El-Rufai was detained Monday night at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja after hours of questioning over alleged corruption totaling 432 billion naira.
Multiple officials at the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said El-Rufai was interrogated over allegations stemming from a 2024 report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The report accused his administration of misappropriating loans, breaching due process in contract awards and plunging the state into heavy debt.
“The commission has been investigating him for about a year now,” one senior EFCC official said. “He is still in our custody and wouldn’t be released today.”
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed that El-Rufai honored the agency’s invitation but declined to provide details about the interrogation or possible next steps.
The investigation follows a report presented last year by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly alleging that about 423 billion naira was siphoned during El-Rufai’s tenure from 2015 to 2023. The committee recommended that anti-corruption agencies investigate and prosecute the former governor and several former cabinet members.
El-Rufai has denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated and insisting that loans obtained during his administration were lawfully appropriated and used for infrastructure, education, health care and security.
Separately, the federal government has filed criminal charges against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged unlawful interception of communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
According to court documents, prosecutors allege that El-Rufai admitted during a Feb. 13 television interview that he and associates intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications. The three-count charge cites provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
In the interview on Arise TV, El-Rufai claimed he learned of an alleged plan to arrest him through a leaked conversation from the national security adviser’s phone. He acknowledged that such interception would be illegal but alleged that the government also monitors calls without court orders.
No date has been set for his arraignment.
In a parallel development, security sources said the Department of State Services has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, a government critic known as Dadiyata, and is examining possible links to El-Rufai and his associates. El-Rufai has denied any involvement in the case.
Monday’s detention sparked protests in Abuja and Kaduna. Supporters gathered near the EFCC headquarters, chanting in solidarity, while another group called for accountability over the corruption allegations.
President Bola Tinubu, speaking Monday during a visit to Adamawa State, praised Ribadu as “honest, bold, courageous and committed,” days after El-Rufai accused the Office of the National Security Adviser of procuring a toxic chemical, an allegation the office has denied.
The developments mark a significant escalation in legal challenges facing the former governor, who has recently criticized the federal government and security agencies.
