The family of former Nasir El-Rufai has described his continued detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission as unlawful, stating that the legal authority for holding him had expired and that no fresh order had been obtained.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Friday by his son, Mohammed El-Rufai, the family said the 14-day remand order issued by the ICPC from a magistrate’s court on February 19 had lapsed without the former governor being charged before any court of competent jurisdiction.
“As of today, March 6, 2026, Nasir El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody under circumstances that have no basis in law. We state categorically that there is currently no valid legal instrument authorizing his detention,” the statement read.
El-Rufai has now spent 18 days in the custody of federal agencies, having voluntarily reported to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, 2026, before being transferred to the ICPC on the night of February 18.
He was initially detained by the EFCC and released late Wednesday, only to be immediately taken into ICPC custody, where he has remained since. Prior to his arrest, he had informed the ICPC through his lawyers of his willingness to honour an invitation on Tuesday.
The family stated that the remand order obtained by the ICPC on February 19 was “defective from the outset” and allowed only a 14-day detention period, which has now expired.
The ICPC had, in filings before the FCT High Court, pledged to charge the former governor before March 5, 2026, the date when the remand order was set to lapse. The commission is investigating multiple corruption allegations against him, including the whereabouts of €1.4 million, suspicious payments totalling over N2.1 billion, and transfers to undisclosed accounts amounting to more than N428 million.
The family, however, said the commission did not honour its undertaking and failed to obtain any fresh detention order.
“The ICPC has not charged him with any offence in a competent court. Neither have they secured a fresh or extended lawful order to continue detaining him,” the statement said, describing the continued detention as “unlawful, brazen self-help.”
The family further accused the commission of political bias, adding, “Their refusal to do so confirms what we have long feared — that the ICPC is being wielded as a tool for political persecution rather than operating as an impartial institution of justice.”
El-Rufai’s legal team, in a pre-action notice dated March 4, had accused the ICPC of contempt of court, malicious prosecution, defamation, abuse of office, forgery, and unlawful detention.
The legal team also served notice of a N15.6 billion damages claim against the ICPC, its chairman, and other officials, describing a March 2 press statement issued by the commission as defamatory and misleading.
The ICPC, in its court filings, disclosed that items recovered from El-Rufai’s Abuja residence on February 19 included investor account statements, asset declaration forms, land documents, electronic devices, and records of domestic and foreign loans approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023. The commission maintained that its actions were lawful and within its statutory mandate.
Report stated that a separate arraignment planned by the Department of State Services at the Federal High Court did not proceed on February 25 after the agency failed to produce El-Rufai in court. Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the case until April 23, 2026.
