- The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 18 in connection with allegations of financial misconduct
- the ICPC claims that El-Rufai deposited $817,900, suspected to be proceeds of corruption
- El-Rufai is facing prosecution by the State Security Service over allegations of phone-tapping
Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has returned to his residence in Abuja after being granted temporary release by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on compassionate grounds.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the release allows him to attend the funeral of his late mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away on Friday in Cairo, Egypt, following an illness.
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El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, confirmed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing gratitude for his father’s release. “Alhamdulillah.
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,” he wrote.
The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 18 in connection with allegations of financial misconduct and related offenses. He spent over a month in detention before being arraigned earlier this week at the Kaduna division of the Federal High Court.
El-Rufai and co-defendant Joel Adoga face charges including alleged misappropriation of public funds and money laundering. The ICPC filed a 10-count charge accusing El-Rufai of abuse of office, fraud, and receiving illegal payments.
The commission alleges that in September 2020 and January 2023, he received N289,826,998.12 on each occasion as severance allowance, far above the legally sanctioned amount of N20,013,245.00.
Additionally, the ICPC claims that El-Rufai deposited $817,900, suspected to be proceeds of corruption, into his Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account while serving as governor.
El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all charges. Justice Rilwan Aikawa adjourned the case to March 31 to consider pending motions, including a bail application.
His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, clarified that no bail request was made during the session, as the hearing was focused solely on arraignment.
Separately, El-Rufai is facing prosecution by the State Security Service over allegations of phone-tapping involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. His arraignment in that case has been scheduled for April 23 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Hajiya Umma El-Rufai as a remarkable woman who raised children and grandchildren who have made significant contributions to the nation.
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