Former Kaduna Governor El-Rufai spends second night in EFCC custody amid bail push

Former Nasir El-Rufai, the ex-Governor of Kaduna State, spent his second consecutive night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday as his lawyer, A.U Mustapha (SAN), continues to seek his release on bail.

El-Rufai was initially invited to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday at around 10 a.m. for questioning in connection with an alleged N432 billion corruption investigation.

Instead of a brief interview, he was detained, with investigators reportedly continuing to grill him over financial decisions made during his eight-year tenure as governor.

An EFCC source, speaking anonymously, indicated that the commission might apply for a remand order to extend El-Rufai’s detention beyond the 48 hours legally allowed, in order to conclude the questioning.

“Forget the speculations being peddled on social media that he has been released. He has not. El-Rufai is still with us and will be spending another night in custody.

READ ALSO: El-Rufai denies interception allegations, says charges seek to criminalise public comment

The investigators need some time with him to answer questions arising from his eight years as governor in Kaduna State,” the source said.

Speaking on Tuesday, El-Rufai’s counsel, Mustapha, confirmed that the former governor remained in custody, adding that he had cooperated fully with investigators. Mustapha emphasized that his client is a responsible citizen and not a flight risk, expressing confidence that he would comply with bail conditions if granted.

“As a responsible citizen, he honoured the EFCC invitation and is cooperating to the best of his capacity. We hope the EFCC, given its integrity, will admit him to bail, as he is presumed innocent,” Mustapha said.

The EFCC’s investigation is reportedly linked to the findings of an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, set up in 2024 to probe finances, loans, and contracts awarded between 2015 and 2023 under El-Rufai’s administration.

The committee, chaired by Henry Zacharia, alleged that approximately N423 billion in loans were misappropriated and recommended investigation and prosecution of El-Rufai and some former cabinet members for abuse of office, diversion of public funds, money laundering, irregular contract awards, and reckless borrowing.

El-Rufai has denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated and insisting that all loans during his tenure were properly used for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security.

Separately, the Department of State Services (DSS) has filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court for allegedly unlawfully intercepting communications of the Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser.

The three-count charge, filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, claims that El-Rufai admitted during a February 13, 2026, television interview that he and unnamed associates had unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s communications.

Counts allege that his actions caused “reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians” and violated national security and cybercrime laws.

The developments have placed El-Rufai at the center of high-profile legal scrutiny, with both corruption and cybercrime allegations now under investigation while his legal team seeks bail pending further proceedings.