Nasir El-Rufai
By Abdullahi Abubakar
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has spent a second night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
Mr El-Rufai has been in detention since Monday after honouring the commission’s invitation for questioning over corruption allegations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former governor is being investigated over alleged fraud during his tenure from 2015 to 2023.
An EFCC source told NAN on Tuesday night that Mr El-Rufai would remain in custody as questioning continued.
“As I am talking to you now, the former governor is still with our interrogators and he will be spending the night with them,” the source said.
According to the source, the commission would conduct a thorough and professional investigation into the allegations.
“I can assure you that the EFCC will do its job diligently by addressing all the issues raised against him,” the source added.
The source declined to say when Mr El-Rufai might be released or charged, noting that this would depend on the progress of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Mr El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, confirmed the detention in a statement on Monday, stating that the former governor honoured the EFCC’s invitation and engaged in discussions with its officials. He described the interaction as frank and fruitful, adding that Mr El-Rufai’s legal team commended the professionalism of the investigators.
Mr Adekeye said the former governor remained with the commission after the engagement on Monday.
Mr El-Rufai’s detention marks the latest development following his recent return to Nigeria from Cairo, Egypt. The chain of events began last Thursday.
