Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have reportedly conducted a search at the Abuja residence of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna.
Muyiwa Adekeye, el-Rufai’s media aide, disclosed in a short statement that officials of the anti-corruption agency carried out the operation on Thursday.
“UPDATE: The Aso Drive residence of Malam Nasir @elrufai was today searched by the ICPC. Ubong Akpan, Malam El- Rufai’s lawyer, condemned the action “as unlawful, and a clear violation of legal procedures and fundamental rights”,” Adekeye wrote on X.
Efforts to get a reaction from Okor Odey, ICPC’s head of media and public communications, were unsuccessful as he was unavailable for comment when contacted by TheCable.
On Wednesday night, the ICPC announced that it had taken the former governor into custody in relation to ongoing investigations.
Prior to his detention by the ICPC, el-Rufai was reportedly held by the Department of State Services (DSS) after spending two nights at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On Monday, the former governor presented himself at the EFCC headquarters following an invitation over alleged financial misconduct during his administration as Kaduna governor from 2015 to 2023.
In 2024, the Kaduna state house of assembly accused el-Rufai of diverting N423 billion in public funds and engaging in money laundering, urging anti-corruption agencies to probe the matter.
Last Thursday, security operatives attempted to apprehend el-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai later alleged that the ICPC, acting on the directive of Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, instructed the DSS to detain him on arrival.
On Saturday, during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, el-Rufai said “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to hear the NSA ordering security operatives to arrest him.
On Monday, the DSS filed a three-count charge against el-Rufai over allegations that he intercepted the NSA’s telephone conversation.