Follow Us on Google
By Goli Innocent
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, remained in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday night as the anti-graft agency deepened its probe into an alleged ₦432bn fraud linked to his time in office.
El-Rufai arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday morning following an invitation and has since been undergoing interrogation.
A senior official at the commission, who declined to be named, said the former governor had not been released and may be held longer if investigators secure a remand order after the legally permitted 48 hours.
According to the source, the questioning centres on financial decisions taken during his eight-year administration in Kaduna State.
His lawyer, A.U. Mustapha (SAN), confirmed that his client was still with the commission but insisted he had cooperated fully.
“As a responsible citizen, he honoured the invitation,” Mustapha said.
Other News
“He is cooperating to the best of his capacity, and we hope the EFCC will admit him to bail because he is presumed innocent. If granted bail, he will not jump bail.”
The probe stems from a 2024 report by an ad hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, chaired by Henry Zacharia, which reviewed loans, contracts and other financial transactions between 2015 and 2023.
The panel alleged that hundreds of billions of naira were either misapplied or diverted and recommended further investigation and possible prosecution.
El-Rufai has consistently denied wrongdoing, describing the allegations as politically motivated.
He maintains that loans obtained under his administration were duly appropriated and channelled into infrastructure, education, healthcare and security projects across the state. EFCC sources say the investigation has been ongoing for about a year.
In a separate twist, the Department of State Services has filed criminal charges against the former governor over the alleged interception of communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
