Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been temporarily released from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
His son, Bashir El-Rufai, disclosed the development in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, confirming that his father had regained his freedom.
He wrote: “My beloved father, @elrufai, is being released from detention. Thank you all for the support. Our family will not forget this period.”
El-Rufai had been in ICPC custody since February 18 over allegations of financial misconduct and related offences. He spent over a month with the commission before being arraigned earlier this week at the Kaduna division of the Federal High Court.
The former governor was arraigned alongside Joel Adoga on charges including the alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which is linked to deposits into domiciliary accounts and the handling of earnings. The court adjourned ruling on his bail application to March 31, 2026, while he remained in custody.
In a separate case, the ICPC has also filed charges against El-Rufai and another defendant, Amadu Sule, at the Kaduna State High Court.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a three-count charge against the former governor at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The case centres on allegations of unlawful interception of phone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in violation of the Cybercrimes Act.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC has not issued an official statement on the terms of El-Rufai’s temporary release.
His release comes hours after the death of his mother, Umma El-Rufai, in Cairo, Egypt.
