Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been taken into custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following hours of questioning over an alleged ₦432 billion corruption investigation.
El-Rufai, who is a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, was detained Monday night at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, after honouring the agency’s invitation earlier in the day.
Multiple sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed that the former governor arrived around 10am and was interrogated over allegations linked to the 2024 report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The report accused his administration of misappropriating loans, breaching due process in contract awards, and leaving the state with significant debt obligations.
One senior EFCC source said the investigation had been ongoing for months before El-Rufai was invited for questioning.
“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.
We are investigating him on the allegations against him by the Kaduna State Assembly,” the source said.
When asked whether El-Rufai would be released after the interrogation, the official stated:
“He is still in our custody and wouldn’t be released today (Monday).”
In addition to the financial allegations, El-Rufai is also expected to face criminal prosecution over claims of illegally bugging the phone of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, according to sources familiar with the probe.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that the former governor honoured the commission’s invitation but declined to provide further details on the interrogation or possible next steps.
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