Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai remained in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday night as his counsel, A. U. Mustapha (SAN), intensified efforts to secure his release on bail.
El-Rufai arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday morning in response to an invitation linked to an alleged ₦432 billion corruption investigation but was subsequently held for further questioning.
Sources within the anti-graft agency indicated that investigators were considering seeking a court remand order to extend his detention beyond the statutory 48-hour period, dismissing social media reports that he had been released.
The investigation is connected to findings by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which examined loans, contracts, and financial transactions carried out during El-Rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023.
The committee alleged that large sums of borrowed funds were misapplied and recommended investigation and prosecution of the former governor and some of his aides.
El-Rufai has consistently denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated and insisting that all loans secured under his tenure were properly appropriated for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security projects.
Speaking by telephone, Mustapha confirmed that his client was cooperating fully with investigators and expressed confidence that he would be granted bail, stressing that the former governor remains presumed innocent under the law.
DSS Files Separate Charges
In a separate development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The three-count charge, filed under the Cybercrimes Amendment Act and the Nigerian Communications Act, accuses the former governor of admitting during a television interview that he and unnamed associates intercepted the NSA’s phone communications.
He is also accused of failing to report the alleged act and of using technical means that could compromise national security.
As of the time of filing this report, El-Rufai had not yet been arraigned in connection with the charges.