ICPC releases El-Rufai over mother’s death

Mr El-Rufai's mother, Umma El-Rufai, died on Friday.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has released former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai from custody hours after his mother died on Friday.

On Saturday, an ICPC source who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed that Mr El-Rufai was released Friday on compassionate grounds to mourn his mother and participate in her burial rites.

“He was granted compassionate bail yesterday to bury his mother. That is all I can confirm. It is a sensitive issue,” the source said.

But the source declined to comment on whether the release was backed by any court order. “Let us not talk about whether it is a court order or not. His mother died. It is very sensitive.”

The ICPC, which detained the former governor for over a month over corruption allegations, had refused to release him, saying his detention was based on a valid court order.

Mr El-Rufai’s son, Bashir El-Rufai, earlier announced his imminent release on X at 9:56 p.m. on Friday.

“My beloved great legend of a father (@elrufai) is being released from his unlawful & illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is a lame excuse of a pathetic institution.

“Thank you all for all the support. Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufais always do,” he wrote.

The move to release Mr El-Rufai, who was arraigned in Kaduna on corruption charges last week, came after the news of his mother, Umma El-Rufai’s passing filtered in Friday afternoon.

Later, the National Security Officer, Nuhu Ribadu, whom Mr El-Rufai had repeatedly claimed was behind his ordeal, mourned the death of Mrs El-Rufai.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, the matriarch of the El-Rufai family. I have fond memories of shared moments with her and her motherly care. At a time like this, words can offer little comfort for such a profound loss.

My heartfelt condolences to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the entire family. May Almighty Allah forgive her shortcomings, grant her eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus, and give the family the strength to bear this loss,” Mr Ribadu wrote on X.

Background

Mr El‑Rufai, who the ICPC has detained since 18 February, is facing intense scrutiny chiefly focusing on his activities as the Kaduna State governor, a position he held between May 2015 and May 2023.

ICPC rearrested Mr El-Rufai on 19 Februaryshortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) released him, having earlier detained him for two days over similar allegations.

ICPC arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Kaduna on corruption charges on Tuesday. The court ordered him to remain in ICPC’s custody pending the hearing of his bail application scheduled for 31 March.

Another corruption case filed by the ICPC, which has yet to be scheduled for arraignment, is pending against him at the Kaduna State High Court in Kaduna, the state capital.

Mr El-Rufai, who faces a separate corruption investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an anti-corruption agency that detained him for two days before passing him to the ICPC, has described the swirling scrutiny by the authorities as political persecution.

Another case is pending against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The charges stemmed from his claim on a live television programme in February that he, with someone, tapped into the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s phone call ordering his arrest.

Mr El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing in the cases, alleging that he is being targeted because of his opposition politics.

The former governor backed President Bola Tinubu to win the 2023 presidential election. But their alliance fell apart after the president nominated him as a minister, and the appointment was controversially scuttled in the Senate over “security” concerns.

He filed the N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit on 20 February following his detention and the reported search of his house in Abuja.

In the suit, he asked the court to declare that the search warrant issued on 4 February by a chief magistrate in the FCT, which authorised the search and seizure at his residence, was invalid, null and void.

ICPC opposed the suit, arguing in a counter-affidavit that it received a petition against El‑Rufai and acted under statutory powers to investigate, arrest, and prosecute offenders.

However, the case has suffered setbacks since it was filed.