Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, remained in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, spending a second night at the agency’s Abuja headquarters as his legal team pressed for his release on bail.
El-Rufai, who arrived at the EFCC office around 10 a.m. on Monday in response to an invitation, is being interrogated in connection with an alleged N432 billion corruption probe linked to his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023.
Sources within the commission disclosed that investigators were considering obtaining a remand order to extend his detention beyond the statutory 48 hours to allow for further questioning.
“Forget the speculations on social media that he has been released. He is still with us and will be spending another night in custody. The investigators are considering obtaining a remand order after the expiration of the 48 hours allowed by law,” an EFCC official said.
El-Rufai’s counsel, A.U. Mustapha (SAN), confirmed in a telephone interview with The PUNCH that his client remained in custody but described him as fully cooperative and not a flight risk.
“As a responsible citizen, he honoured the invitation. He is cooperating to the best of his ability, and we hope the EFCC will admit him to bail. He is presumed innocent and will not jump bail,” Mustapha said, declining to comment on the specific allegations, which he described as confidential.
The interrogation stems from a 2024 report by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which investigated finances, loans, and contracts awarded during El-Rufai’s administration.
The committee, chaired by Henry Zacharia, alleged that several loans secured under the former governor were not utilised for their intended purposes. During plenary, Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman claimed that approximately N423 billion was siphoned, leaving the state with substantial financial liabilities.
The Assembly subsequently petitioned the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute the matter.
El-Rufai has consistently denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated and maintaining that all loans obtained during his tenure were properly appropriated and used for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security projects.
In a related development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a separate three-count criminal charge against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. According to court documents, the former governor allegedly admitted during a February 13, 2026, appearance on Prime Time on Arise TV that he and unnamed associates intercepted Ribadu’s communications.
He has yet to be arraigned.
