Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been granted temporary bail from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The development is to enable him attend the funeral rites of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who reportedly died in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday.
An aide to the former governor confirmed that the release was approved on compassionate grounds following the family’s bereavement.
Reacting, his son, Bashir El-Rufai, disclosed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that his father had been released from detention.
He wrote: “My beloved great legend of a father is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria… Thank you all for all the support. Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufais.”
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC has yet to issue an official statement regarding the terms of his temporary release or the next steps in its investigation.
El-Rufai is currently facing multiple high-profile legal battles involving allegations of financial misconduct, money laundering, and national security breaches across different courts in Nigeria.
He has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026.
On March 24, the anti-corruption agency formally arraigned him alongside co-defendant, Joel Adoga, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on charges bordering on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, while the court adjourned ruling on his bail application to March 31, 2026.
In a separate matter, the ICPC also filed a case against him at the Kaduna State High Court alongside another defendant, Amadu Sule.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has instituted a three-count charge against the former governor at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of phone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in violation of the Cybercrimes Act.
His arraignment in the matter has been scheduled for April 23, 2026.
El-Rufai has, however, filed counter-suits challenging the actions of the authorities. In one suit, he is seeking ₦1 billion in damages against the ICPC and other agencies over a February 19 raid on his Abuja residence, which he described as unlawful. He is also asking the court to invalidate the search warrant and restrain the use of any evidence obtained during the operation.
In a separate suit against the DSS, he is seeking ₦2 billion in damages and has asked the court to dismiss the wiretapping charges, describing them as unconstitutional harassment.
The legal battles stem from events that began on February 16, 2026, when El-Rufai was initially detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged ₦423 billion misappropriation. He was granted administrative bail on February 18 but was immediately re-arrested by the ICPC.
His arraignment on March 24 marked a significant development in the cases, although journalists were barred from the courtroom during proceedings.
Reacting to the development, human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong questioned the legality of the release, stating that a person remanded by a court order cannot be freed without recourse to the court.
He called on the ICPC to clarify the procedure adopted, asking whether due process was followed in granting the temporary release.
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