FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was detained Monday night at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja after hours of interrogation over an alleged N432 billion corruption probe.
Multiple senior sources within the anti-graft agency told News Point Nigeria that El-Rufai, who arrived at the commission’s Jabi headquarters around 10am in response to an invitation, remained in custody late into the night.
“He is still in our custody and wouldn’t be released today,” a senior EFCC official disclosed.
The former governor, now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, is being investigated following a 2024 report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly which accused his administration of misappropriating loans, violating due process in contract awards, and plunging the state into heavy debt between 2015 and 2023.
The probe stems from the findings of an ad hoc committee set up by the Assembly to scrutinize financial transactions under El-Rufai’s tenure. Presenting the report during plenary last year, committee chairman Henry Zacharia alleged that most loans secured by the administration were not utilized for their intended purposes.
Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman reportedly told lawmakers that approximately N423 billion was siphoned, leaving Kaduna State burdened with significant liabilities and a rising debt profile.
The committee recommended prosecution of the former governor and key cabinet members for alleged abuse of office, contract irregularities, money laundering, reckless borrowing, and diversion of public funds. Petitions were subsequently forwarded to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Among specific allegations were disputed cash payments and contracts totaling over N155 million, alleged diversion of N1.37 billion meant for a light rail project, and purported laundering of N64.8 million by senior aides.
El-Rufai has consistently denied wrongdoing, describing the allegations as politically motivated and insisting that all loans were lawfully appropriated and used for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security improvements.
However, Monday’s detention signals that the EFCC investigation has entered a decisive phase.
In a dramatic parallel development, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The three-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The charges stem from comments El-Rufai made during an appearance on Prime Time on Arise TV, where he claimed that he and unnamed associates had access to a leaked conversation from Ribadu’s phone.
According to court documents, the Federal Government alleges that El-Rufai admitted during the February 13, 2026 interview that he and his “cohorts” unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications.
In one of the counts, prosecutors claim the former governor knew of an individual responsible for the alleged interception but failed to report the act to authorities. Another count alleges that he and others used technical equipment that compromised public safety and national security.
No date has been fixed for his arraignment.
The disclosure of alleged phone tapping sent shockwaves across political and security circles, raising concerns about national security breaches.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga accused El-Rufai of attempting to inflame political tensions and divert attention from corruption allegations.
He stated that the former governor’s claims were aimed at creating unrest and deflecting scrutiny from “massive corruption allegations” in Kaduna State.
Under Nigerian law, unauthorized interception of communications can attract prison terms ranging from two to ten years, alongside substantial fines.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, was declared missing on August 1, 2019, after gunmen reportedly abducted him from his Kaduna residence. His whereabouts remain unknown nearly seven years later.
Security sources disclosed that the DSS recently seized El-Rufai’s passport at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent him from leaving the country while investigations continue.
Investigators are also examining social media posts made by the former governor’s sons following Dadiyata’s disappearance, amid claims that the missing lecturer had been a vocal critic.
El-Rufai has denied any knowledge of or involvement in Dadiyata’s disappearance, maintaining that he neither knew the lecturer personally nor had any reason to target him.