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Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai spent Monday night in the custody of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after hours of interrogation over alleged financial misconduct during his eight-year tenure, as three separate federal agencies simultaneously escalated legal proceedings against him in what his supporters described as political persecution and critics called long-overdue accountability.
El-Rufai arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, responding to an invitation reportedly issued in December. Although he presented himself voluntarily, sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed late Monday that he would remain in custody until investigators reached what they described as “advanced stages” of their questioning. EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed the former governor had honoured the commission’s invitation but declined to comment on the substance of the interrogation or the next steps.
Sources at the EFCC said two simultaneous investigations were under way: one into alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor and another examining alleged terrorism financing. The financial probe is rooted in a 2024 report by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly that examined loans, contracts, and financial transactions under El-Rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023. Committee chairman Henry Zacharia alleged that several loans obtained by the state were either misapplied or diverted from their stated purposes. Speaker Yusuf Dahiru Leman subsequently claimed that approximately 423 billion naira had been siphoned from state coffers during the period, leaving Kaduna with what the lawmakers described as unsustainable debt liabilities. The assembly endorsed petitions to both the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
“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.
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While the anti-graft interrogation continued, the Department of State Services filed a three-count criminal charge against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja over his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 and dated February 16, 2026, was filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
The prosecution’s case rests on admissions El-Rufai made four days earlier. Count One alleged that on February 13, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme, El-Rufai admitted during the interview that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, an offence contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act 2024. Count Two alleged that during the same interview, he stated that he knew and associated with an individual who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications without reporting that person to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Act. Count Three alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety and national security, contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. No arraignment date had been set as of Monday evening.
The television disclosures that triggered the cybercrime charges were themselves a response to an attempted arrest the previous Thursday.
El-Rufai had refused detention at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by security operatives. In interviews that followed, he alleged that the NSA had orchestrated the attempted detention, revealing that his associates had accessed Ribadu’s telephone communications to learn of the planned operation. “Ribadu made the call, because we listened to their calls,” he said on the Arise TV programme. “The government thinks that they are the only ones who listen to calls. But we also have our ways.” He acknowledged the illegality of the action while arguing that the government routinely conducted similar surveillance without court authorization.
The Office of the National Security Adviser issued a separate matter of its own on the same day the Arise TV interview aired. In a letter signed on February 13, 2026, El-Rufai had demanded that Ribadu clarify the purpose of a procurement of thallium sulphate, its storage arrangements, and whether NAFDAC and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had been notified. The ONSA responded by denying any such procurement and referring the matter to the DSS for investigation.
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Tension flared at the EFCC premises throughout the day as hundreds of supporters and critics gathered. Security operatives deployed teargas to disperse the crowd after clashes reportedly broke out between opposing groups. El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on X that the former governor had honoured the commission’s invitation and was cooperating with investigators.
“He had a frank and fruitful interaction with the EFCC officials, whom his counsel noted were entirely professional in their approach and conduct,” the statement said.
In Kaduna, hundreds of protesters simultaneously stormed the state House of Assembly, demanding a public briefing on the legislature’s investigation into El-Rufai’s administration. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, writing on Facebook to mark El-Rufai’s birthday, described the proceedings as “political persecution” and “needless distractions.” Former presidential adviser Reno Omokri accused El-Rufai of hypocrisy, noting that the former governor had championed the EFCC’s establishment and could not now resist scrutiny from the same institution.
El-Rufai has consistently denied the financial allegations, insisting that all loans obtained during his tenure were properly appropriated and directed toward infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security programs. His legal counsel, Ubong Akpan, said the EFCC invitation had been received while El-Rufai was overseas and that there was no constitutional basis for detention.
In addition to the EFCC and DSS proceedings, the Department of State Services has reopened an investigation into the 2019 disappearance of blogger and government critic Abubakar Idris, known as Dadiyata, who was abducted from his Kaduna residence in August of that year and has not been seen since. Security sources said El-Rufai and two of his sons are being probed in connection with the case. The DSS separately seized El-Rufai’s passport at Abuja airport to prevent foreign travel during the investigations.
No timeline for El-Rufai’s possible arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction has been announced by any of the three agencies. Under Nigerian law, the EFCC may seek a court-ordered remand to extend detention beyond the constitutionally permitted period if investigators determine that additional time is required to complete their inquiries.
