The former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, was, on Wednesday, released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He was, however, reportedly taken into custody by the operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission.
Sources at the EFCC confirmed to The PUNCH. on Wednesday night that the former governor had been released but was shortly taken into custody by operatives of the ICPC.
El-Rufai had arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 10 am on Monday for questioning and was held by the commission until Wednesday.
“We have released him today, but he was shortly picked up after he was released by ICPC,” a source said.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the ICPC failed as calls to the spokesman, John Odey, were not answered.
El-Rufai’s lawyer, A. U. Mustapha (SAN), neither confirmed nor denied the claim when contacted.
“It is too late to talk. Let’s talk tomorrow,” he told The PUNCH.
The number of his media aide, Muyiwa Adeleye, indicated it was unreachable when it was called.
The DSS has been on standby for the arraignment of El-Rufai over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, and also the reopened investigation into the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
On Monday, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.
The three charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, were filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
It accused El-Rufai of admitting during a television interview that an unnamed associate unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications, and he listened to them.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged admission was made on February 13, 2026, when El-Rufai appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja.
