[VIDEO]: Nasir El-Rufai returns home after ICPC grants compassionate release for mother’s burial
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has returned to his residence in Abuja after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission granted him temporary release on compassionate grounds to enable him attend the burial of his late mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai.
Hajiya Umma El-Rufai passed away on Friday in Cairo, Egypt, following an illness.
Report stated earlier that El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, confirmed his father’s release in a post on his X handle on Friday night, stating: “Alhamdulillah. My beloved great legend of a father is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
El-Rufai had been in ICPC custody since February 18 over allegations related to financial misconduct and other offences. He spent more than a month with the commission before being arraigned earlier this week before the Kaduna division of the Federal High Court.
The former governor was arraigned alongside Joel Adoga on charges involving alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering.
According to the ICPC, both defendants were brought before the court on a 10-count charge bordering on abuse of office, money laundering, and fraud. The commission specifically alleged that El-Rufai, in September 2020 and January 2023, received N289,826,998.12 on each occasion as severance allowance, far above the legally approved sum of N20,013,245.00.
In additional counts, the ICPC accused the former governor of receiving deposits believed to be proceeds of corruption and fraud amounting to $817,900 in tranches into his Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account while serving as governor of Kaduna State.
El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The case was heard by Rilwan Aikawa, who adjourned proceedings to March 31 to rule on pending applications, including a bail request. Counsel to the former governor, Ubong Akpan, told journalists that no bail application was filed during the session, explaining that the matter was scheduled strictly for arraignment.
El-Rufai is also facing a separate prosecution by the State Security Service over alleged phone-tapping claims involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, with the Federal High Court in Abuja fixing April 23 for his arraignment in that matter.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the late matriarch as a woman who lived a remarkable life and raised children and grandchildren who have contributed significantly to the country.
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