El-Rufai Spends Second Night in EFCC Custody
ABUJA — Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has spent his second consecutive night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as investigators intensify a high-stakes probe into his eight-year tenure. El-Rufai, who voluntarily arrived at the commission’s Jabi headquarters on Monday, February 16, 2026, faces a grueling interrogation over the alleged misappropriation of ₦432 billion in public funds. This figure, largely derived from a 2024 Kaduna State House of Assembly report, suggests that the former administration siphoned loans and breached contract protocols, leaving the state in a precarious fiscal state. Consequently, senior EFCC sources indicate that the former governor will remain in their Jabi facility while detectives finalize what they describe as a “water-tight” case for possible prosecution.
The former governor’s detention follows a dramatic and public fallout with the Presidency and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. Last Thursday, security operatives reportedly attempted to arrest El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo, Egypt. Furthermore, the Department of State Services (DSS) has now formally filed a three-count cybercrime charge against him at the Federal High Court. The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, stem from El-Rufai’s recent admission on Arise TV that he and his associates intercepted the private phone communications of the NSA. While it is true that the former governor claims this “listening” was necessary for his safety, the Federal Government views it as a severe breach of national security.
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El-Rufai’s political camp, now centered within the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), describes the detention as a “politically motivated hatchet job.” Media aide Muyiwa Adekeye maintained that his principal served Kaduna with integrity and remains proud of his urban renewal legacy. In a related development, opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have reportedly begun discussions on a broad coalition, with El-Rufai playing a central role. However, the 2024 Assembly probe recommended the suspension of several former cabinet members, citing disputed cash payments and contracts exceeding ₦155 million. Notably, the incumbent Governor Uba Sani, once El-Rufai’s protégé, has publicly lamented inheriting a state treasury “starved” by massive debt servicing obligations.
The interrogation continues to focus on the alleged diversion of foreign loans obtained for projects that lawmakers claim were never fully executed. Above all, the EFCC is examining “legacy liabilities” that currently consume a disproportionate share of Kaduna’s monthly federal allocation. Subsequently, the commission is expected to seek a court-ordered remand to extend El-Rufai’s detention should the “scale of discoveries” require further time. Although his legal team has described the EFCC’s conduct as professional, they remain resolute in demanding the return of his seized international passport.
Finally, the outcome of this showdown will likely define the contours of the 2027 presidential race. Therefore, the government must ensure that its anti-corruption crusade does not appear as a selective instrument of political warfare. The nation watches with bated breath as the man who once “reformed” Abuja now faces the very system he helped build.