The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed the arrest of Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State.
The arrest came shortly after El-Rufai was released on administrative bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday evening.
In a statement issued by J. Okor Odey, ICPC’s head of media and public communications, the commission said El-Rufai was taken into custody on Wednesday night in connection with ongoing investigations.
“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 of the 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.
The commission did not disclose further details regarding the nature of the investigations.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly accused El-Rufai of diverting N423 billion in public funds and engaging in money laundering, and urged anti-corruption agencies to probe the allegations.
El-Rufai had earlier been detained by the EFCC on Monday over alleged corruption offences. Although he was granted bail around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, witnesses said operatives of the ICPC, who were stationed at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, immediately took him into custody.
The former governor has also been at the centre of a separate legal battle involving the Department of State Services (DSS). Last Thursday, security operatives reportedly attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai later alleged that the ICPC, acting on the instructions of Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, directed DSS officials to detain him at the airport.
On Monday, the DSS filed separate cybercrime charges against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, followed comments he made during a live interview on Arise Television in which he alleged that Ribadu’s phone had been tapped.
Prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai admitted to intercepting the NSA’s communications, failed to report unlawful interceptions carried out by others, and acted in a manner that compromised public safety and national security.
The unfolding developments have placed the former governor at the centre of multiple investigations and legal proceedings across different security and anti-corruption agencies.
