EFCC detains El-Rufai over ₦432bn probe as FG files fresh charges
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was on Monday night detained at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja following hours of interrogation over an alleged ₦432bn corruption probe.
Sources within the anti-graft agency disclosed that El-Rufai arrived at the commission’s Jabi office around 10am in response to an invitation and was subsequently grilled over allegations stemming from a 2024 report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The report accused his administration of misappropriating loans, breaching due process in contract awards, and plunging the state into heavy debt.
A senior EFCC official said investigations into the former governor had been ongoing for about a year, adding that invitations are typically extended after substantial groundwork has been completed.
READ ALSO: Nasir El-Rufai and the politics of calculated attrition, by Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi, FNSE
Confirming his appearance before the commission, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale declined to provide further details. As of late Monday, El-Rufai remained in custody.
Assembly Alleges Massive Misappropriation
The probe is linked to findings presented by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly in 2024. The committee, chaired by Henry Zacharia, alleged that most loans secured between 2015 and 2023 were not utilised for their intended purposes.
Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman had stated during plenary that about ₦423bn was allegedly siphoned under El-Rufai’s administration, leaving the state burdened with significant liabilities. The report also cited disputed cash payments and contracts exceeding ₦155m, the alleged diversion of ₦1.37bn meant for a light rail project, and the purported laundering of ₦64.8m by senior aides.
The Assembly recommended his investigation and prosecution, forwarding petitions to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
READ ALSO: DSS charges Nasir El-Rufai over alleged interception of Nuhu Ribadu’s calls
El-Rufai has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and maintaining that all loans obtained during his tenure were properly appropriated and deployed for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security improvements.
FG Files Charges Over Alleged Phone Interception
In a separate development, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the 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. Prosecutors alleged that during a February 13, 2026 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme, El-Rufai admitted that he and unnamed associates intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications.
READ ALSO: Ngige in EFCC custody, not kidnapped, aide clarifies
The charges accuse him of unlawful interception, failure to report knowledge of such interception, and using technical systems to compromise national security. No date had been fixed for his arraignment as of press time.
During the television interview, El-Rufai had claimed he became aware of an alleged plan to arrest him through a leaked conversation from the NSA’s phone, acknowledging that such interception was “technically illegal.”
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga subsequently accused the former governor of attempting to create political tension and divert attention from corruption allegations.
READ ALSO: Malami turns himself in to DSS after prolonged standoff at Kuje Prison
DSS Reopens Dadiyata Case
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has reportedly reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of government critic Abubakar Idris, also known as Dadiyata.
Idris, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State, was declared missing on August 1, 2019, after gunmen allegedly abducted him from his Kaduna residence. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Security sources said the DSS recently seized El-Rufai’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as part of ongoing investigations.
The unfolding developments signal mounting legal challenges for the former governor, who now faces scrutiny from multiple security and anti-graft agencies.
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