Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have searched the Abuja residence of former Kaduna governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as investigations into alleged financial improprieties deepen.
Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to El-Rufai, confirmed on Thursday that agents of the anti-graft commission carried out the operation at the former governor’s Aso Drive home.
“UPDATE: The Aso Drive residence of Malam Nasir @elrufai was today searched by the ICPC. Ubong Akpan, Malam El-Rufai’s lawyer, condemned the action as unlawful, and a clear violation of legal procedures and fundamental rights,” Adekeye wrote on X.
Efforts to get official confirmation from the ICPC were unsuccessful, as Okor Odey, head of media and public communications, was unavailable for comment.
The search follows a dramatic week for the former governor. On Wednesday night, the ICPC disclosed that El-Rufai had been taken into custody in connection with ongoing investigations.
Prior to that, he was reportedly held by the Department of State Services (DSS) after spending two nights at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
El-Rufai had presented himself at the EFCC headquarters on Monday following an invitation over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted him over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and money laundering. The lawmakers subsequently called on anti-graft agencies to investigate the claims.
Tensions escalated last Thursday when security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt.
The former governor later alleged that the ICPC acted on the instruction of Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, directing the DSS to arrest him.
In an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise TV, El-Rufai claimed that someone wiretapped Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to hear the alleged directive to effect his arrest.
On Monday, the DSS filed a three-count charge against el-Rufai for allegedly intercepting the NSA’s telephone conversation.
The unfolding events signal a high-stakes confrontation between the former governor and federal security agencies, as investigations continue.
