Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have reportedly taken former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, into custody after he spent two nights under interrogation at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja.
Multiple sources disclosed that El-Rufai was picked up on Wednesday night from the EFCC facility, where investigators had questioned him over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. Reports indicate that the anti-graft agency made repeated attempts to obtain a written statement from him, but he allegedly declined.
El-Rufai had presented himself to the EFCC on Monday following an invitation linked to accusations of large-scale diversion of public funds. In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted him over allegations involving the diversion of about ₦423 billion and demanded a full investigation by relevant agencies.
The former governor has also faced an invitation from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and there have been earlier reports of an attempted arrest at the Abuja airport after his return from Cairo.
Separately, the DSS has filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Security sources insist that the DSS action is not connected to the EFCC probe but relates instead to what they described as an “escalating security matter.”
With corruption allegations and national security charges now unfolding simultaneously, the legal and political implications of El-Rufai’s detention continue to draw national attention.
