Malam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has been moved into custody of the The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The former governor, who spent 48 hours at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was later arrested after being granted bail by the anti-graft agency.
There were reports that El-Rufai was arrested by the Department of State Services, which filed criminal charges against him during his early hours at the EFCC.
The DSS filed the charges against the immediate past governor of Kaduna State over his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
But ICPC later clarified that El-Rufai was in its custody.
According to J. Okor Odey, ICPC’s Head of Media and Public Communications, El-Rufai was taken into custody on Wednesday night.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) writes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai the former Governor of Kaduna state is in our custody as at close of work today Wednesday the 18th day of February, 2026. Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the Commission in connection with investigations,” the statement read.
Okor was silent on the nature of the investigations.
Last Thursday, security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when he returned from Cairo, Egypt.
When he featured on an ARISE Television programme, El-Rufai later alleged that the ICPC, acting on the orders of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had asked the DSS to arrest him.
Asked how he knew this, El-Rufai said someone tapped the phone of Ribadu and he heard what the NSA said.
It was on this basis that the DSS filed a three-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The secret police accused the former governor of breaching the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, (2024), and the Nigerian Communications Act (2003.)
Counts in the charge read:
”That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did admit during the interview that you and your cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
”That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13t February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did state during the interview that you know and relate with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, without reporting the said individual to relevant Security agencies and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
”That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, and other still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with others still at large did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to which you admitted during an interview on 13th February, 2026, on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”
El-Rufai, who was governor between 2015 and 2023, has been accused of financial improprieties, an allegation he denied vehemently.
In 2024, the Kaduna House of Assembly indicted him over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and money laundering and demanded that he be investigated by anti-graft agencies.
He later sued the assembly whom he accused of attempting to batter his image.
