Former Kaduna governor held overnight after hours of interrogation as protesters clash outside commission; faces parallel investigations over missing activist Dadiyata
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai spent Monday night in detention at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja after more than eight hours of interrogation over an alleged N432 billion corruption probe, multiple sources confirmed to The PUNCH.
The detention marks a dramatic escalation in the legal troubles confronting the outspoken former minister, who also faces fresh criminal charges for allegedly intercepting the phone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The Interrogation
El-Rufai arrived at the EFCC's Jabi headquarters around 10 a.m. Monday in response to an invitation that had been pending since his return from overseas. He was grilled until well past 6 p.m. over allegations arising from a 2024 report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which accused his administration of misappropriating loans, violating due process in contract awards, and plunging the state into heavy debt.
"The commission has been investigating him for about a year now. As a commission, we don't just rush to invite suspects. Persons accused are always the last; that is after we might have done our investigation to an advanced stage," a senior EFCC source told reporters.
When asked late Monday whether El-Rufai would be released, the source responded bluntly: "He is still in our custody and wouldn't be released today."
EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed that the former governor honored the commission's invitation but declined further comments on the interrogation or next steps.
The N432 Billion Allegations
The EFCC interrogation stems from a report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly's ad hoc committee, constituted in 2024 to investigate finances, loans, and contracts awarded between 2015 and 2023 under El-Rufai's administration.
Presenting the committee's report during plenary last year, chairman Henry Zacharia alleged that most loans obtained during the eight-year period were not utilized for their intended purposes. Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman claimed approximately N423 billion was siphoned, leaving Kaduna State with heavy financial liabilities and a rising debt profile.
The committee recommended investigation and prosecution of the former governor and several cabinet members over alleged:
- Abuse of office
- Award of contracts without due process
- Diversion of public funds
- Money laundering
- Reckless borrowing
The Assembly subsequently petitioned the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to take up the matter.
Beyond the headline N423 billion allegation, the legislative report referenced disputed cash payments and contracts exceeding N155 million, alleged diversion of N1.37 billion earmarked for a light rail project, and purported laundering of N64.8 million by senior aides.
El-Rufai has consistently denied the allegations, describing the probe as politically motivated and insisting all loans were duly appropriated and applied to infrastructural development, education reforms, healthcare upgrades, and security interventions.
The Phone Tapping Charges
As the EFCC grilled the former governor over financial allegations, the Federal Government filed criminal charges against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of Ribadu's phone communications.
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. It accused El-Rufai of admitting during a February 13, 2026, television interview that he and unnamed associates unlawfully intercepted Ribadu's communications.
Count One alleged that El-Rufai "did admit during the interview that you and your cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu"—an offence punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Act.
Count Two accused him of knowing about and associating with an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA's phone communications without reporting the person to security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Act.
Count Three alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment that compromised public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting Ribadu's communications, punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The prosecution claimed the alleged act instilled "reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians."
No date has been fixed for his arraignment.
The criminal charges stem directly from El-Rufai's appearance on Arise TV last Friday, where he claimed he learned of an alleged plan to arrest him through a leaked conversation from the NSA's phone.
"Ribadu made the call, because we listened to their calls. The government thinks that they are the only ones who listen to calls. But we also have our ways. He made the call, he gave the order that they should arrest me," El-Rufai had said.
Dadiyata Case Reopened
In a parallel development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, and begun probing El-Rufai and his sons over the case.
Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, was declared missing on August 1, 2019, after gunmen reportedly took him from his residence in Kaduna. His whereabouts remain unknown nearly seven years later.
A security source told The PUNCH that the DSS recently seized El-Rufai's passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent him from traveling abroad while investigations are ongoing.
"The DSS has reopened the case of the 2019 disappearance in Kaduna of a renowned government critic, Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, and several other cases of missing persons," the source said.
Another source said investigators were examining social media posts by El-Rufai's sons, Bello and Bashir, following Dadiyata's disappearance.
"Former governor El-Rufai claimed that until Dadiyata's disappearance he didn't know that anybody with such a name existed. However, social media posts by his sons, Bello and Bashir, suggest otherwise. Posts by his sons on 'X' clearly showed that Dadiyata was a problem for their family," the source added.
El-Rufai has maintained publicly that he neither knew Dadiyata personally nor had any reason to target him, insisting the missing lecturer was a critic of the Kano State Government at the time.
Protests in Abuja and Kaduna
Monday's developments triggered street actions in both cities.
At the EFCC headquarters, hundreds of demonstrators under the aegis of the Mega National Movement for Good Governance stormed the premises, demanding a thorough probe. Carrying placards with inscriptions such as "Answer the charges El-Rufai" and "El-Rufai not above the law," protesters attempted to march into the commission but were stopped by security operatives.
"We reiterate its firm position that the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, remains a lawful and constitutional matter strictly between him and the Government of Kaduna State. This issue should not be reduced to a mere political drama," said group spokesman Muhammad Abdullahi.
Simultaneously, El-Rufai's supporters gathered near the commission, chanting solidarity songs and holding placards reading "El-Rufai is a citizen, not a subject" and "We stand with El-Rufai. We stand for law."
In Kaduna, hundreds of protesters under the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations stormed the State House of Assembly demanding updates on the legislative probe.
Tinubu Praises Ribadu
President Bola Tinubu on Monday praised Ribadu as an "illustrious son" of Adamawa State who is "honest, bold, courageous and committed."
Speaking at the Adamawa State Government House in Yola during a one-day visit, Tinubu declared that Ribadu was doing "an excellent job" in the fight against terrorism and banditry, and vowed they would defeat the nation's security threats together.
"With you (Ribadu), we will defeat the bandits and terrorists. You're a good National Security Adviser; honest, bold, courageous and committed to the job. I believe the state of Adamawa is strongly, strongly proud of you, because I am too," the President said.
Tinubu's declaration came days after El-Rufai, in a letter dated January 30, 2026, accused the ONSA of procuring approximately 10 kilogrammes of thallium sulphate, a highly toxic compound, from a supplier in Poland. ONSA denied the allegation and referred it to the DSS for investigation.
The Road Ahead
The unfolding developments represent one of the most consequential legal and political confrontations involving a former governor in recent years.
Once a key figure within the ruling establishment and a prominent voice in national policy debates, El-Rufai now faces simultaneous investigations into alleged financial impropriety, cybercrime, and a reopened disappearance case.
The convergence of EFCC detention, fresh criminal charges, DSS investigations, and street protests underscores the high stakes. Whether the cases ultimately amount to lawful prosecution grounded in evidence or political persecution, as his allies allege, will likely be tested in the courtroom.
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