ICPC Denies Seeking New Court Order For Nasir El-Rufai’s Detention

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has denied claims that it went back to court to request an extension of the detention of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Public Communication, John Odey, the commission said the reports were misleading.

The ICPC explained that its appearance in court on March 17, 2026, was strictly for the hearing of an application filed by El-Rufai on March 6, in which he is asking the court to set aside a remand order granted on March 5.

The ICPC said that during the court session, its response to the application was served on El-Rufai’s lawyer.

The defence counsel then asked for more time to review the reply, leading the magistrate to adjourn the case until March 31, 2026.

The commission stressed that it did not seek any fresh order to keep the former governor in custody, contrary to what some reports suggested.

“ICPC wishes to clarify the current legal status of the remand in detention of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

“This statement is necessary to correct inaccurate reports by some media outlets suggesting that the commission was in court today, 17th March 2026, seeking a fresh extension of his detention.

“The commission appeared in court today for the hearing of Mallam El-Rufai’s application, dated and filed on 6th March 2026, which seeks to overturn the court order renewing his remand issued on 5th March 2026.

“During today’s proceedings, counsel for Mr El-Rufai was served with our response to his application.

“The lawyer subsequently requested an adjournment to respond to the commission’s response.

“Consequently, the magistrate adjourned the hearing of the application to 31st March 2026 to allow Mr El-Rufai’s team sufficient time to react to our response.”

Providing more background, the ICPC explained that the initial court order allowed it to detain El-Rufai for 14 days to investigate allegations of money laundering and abuse of office.

ICPC said after that period expired, the agency applied for another 14-day extension, which was approved by the court on March 5.

It also revealed that an earlier attempt by El-Rufai’s legal team to cancel a previous remand order issued on February 19 was rejected by the court on March 9.

According to the ICPC, the former governor is still being held legally under the existing remand order granted on March 5.

It added that it is following all court instructions, including providing updates on the progress of its investigation.

The ICPC noted that the detention was approved in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Reaffirming its stance, the agency said it remains committed to due process and does not engage in trying cases through the media.

“The ICPC remains firm in upholding its longstanding policy of avoiding media trials. We believe that legal disputes should be settled in the courtroom, not on newspaper pages and social media platforms.

“The commission’s leadership remains steadfast and undeterred in confronting any and all challenges in the course of the investigation.

“We urge the public to avoid spreading unverified information and to rely on official updates from the Commission,” the statement said.

Nasir El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 19, after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He had returned to Nigeria from Cairo, Egypt on February 12, 2026, and honoured an EFCC invitation on February 16.

He was granted administrative bail by the EFCC on February 19 before being taken into custody by the ICPC the same day.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has also filed a case against El-Rufai over allegations that he illegally wiretapped the phone line of National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.