Nasir El-Rufai Spends First Night At EFCC Custody Over Alleged N432bn Fraud

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was detained overnight at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday after several hours of questioning over allegations of corruption involving N432 billion.

El-Rufai, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is also expected to face criminal charges related to the alleged bugging of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s phone.

According to PUNCH, sources in the EFCC said that El-Rufai arrived at the commission’s Jabi office around 10 a.m on Monday in response to an official invitation.

He was questioned about investigations from a 2024 Kaduna State House of Assembly report, which accused his administration of mismanaging loans, awarding contracts improperly, and increasing the state’s debt.

“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,” a senior EFCC official said.

When asked whether Nasir El-Rufai would be released on Monday, the official said, “He is still in our custody and wouldn’t be released today (Monday).”

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed that El-Rufai complied with the invitation but gave no further details about the questioning or next steps.

The investigation stems from a 2024 report by the Kaduna House of Assembly, which looked into finances, loans, and contracts from 2015 to 2023 under El-Rufai’s administration.

The committee, chaired by Henry Zacharia, alleged that many loans were not used for their intended purposes.

The Speaker of the House, Yusuf Dahiru Leman, said that about N423 billion was misappropriated, leaving the state with high debt.

The committee recommended prosecuting El-Rufai and several former cabinet members for abuse of office, unlawful contract awards, diversion of funds, money laundering, and reckless borrowing.

The Assembly sent a petition to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to act on the matter.

The report also highlighted disputed payments and contracts totaling over N155 million, the alleged misuse of N1.37 billion for a light rail project, and the laundering of N64.8 million by senior aides.

El-Rufai has consistently denied the accusations, calling the investigation politically motivated and maintaining that all loans were properly used for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security projects.

Monday’s detention indicates that the EFCC has moved from preliminary review to active interrogation.

KanyiDaily had reported how Nasir El-Rufai arrived at EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday amid protests by his supporters and opposers.