The media adviser to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised concerns over what he described as the failure of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to act on a bail application filed on behalf of the former governor.
In a statement issued Monday night, the aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, said El-Rufai has now spent eight days in detention without a response to his lawyers’ request for bail.
According to him, the former governor voluntarily honoured an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, 2026, and was initially held by the commission until February 18 before being transferred to ICPC custody later that night.
Adekeye stated that despite the expiration of the 48-hour constitutional window for holding a suspect without charge, El-Rufai’s legal team has neither received a reply to the bail application nor been shown any remand order authorising his continued detention.
Multiple Court Hearings Scheduled
The aide disclosed that at least two court proceedings involving the former governor are slated for hearing this week.
One of the cases, filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, is a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Federal Government, the ICPC, the EFCC and the Department of State Services (DSS). The suit seeks an order compelling authorities to grant him bail.
On the same date, February 25, El-Rufai is also expected to be arraigned on charges previously filed by the DSS.
In addition, the former governor has approached the Federal High Court to challenge the legality of a search conducted at his Abuja residence on February 19.
According to Adekeye, the suit questions the validity of the search warrant, alleging drafting errors, lack of specificity, ambiguity in execution parameters and absence of probable cause. El-Rufai is also asking the court to declare that the operation violated his fundamental rights and to restrain authorities from relying on any materials recovered during the search in future proceedings.
Timeline of Events
Providing details of recent developments, the aide said ICPC operatives carried out a search of El-Rufai’s residence on February 19, followed by further interrogation on February 20. A fresh bail application was filed after the interrogation but has yet to receive any response.
Adekeye also referenced El-Rufai’s earlier detention by the EFCC between February 16 and 18, noting that the former governor was granted administrative bail under certain conditions, including the provision of a serving federal permanent secretary as surety. His lawyers, he said, had sought a review of those conditions.
Counsel to the former governor, Ubong Akpan, reportedly described his continued custody as unlawful and lacking justification. The aide further alleged that access to El-Rufai by family members and legal representatives had been difficult.
He also claimed that El-Rufai experienced an episode of nose bleeding during his detention and that his passport was seized at an airport on February 12 during what his lawyers characterised as a failed arrest attempt.
According to the statement, the ICPC subsequently issued a formal invitation for questioning, which El-Rufai agreed to honour on February 18.
The former governor is currently facing a series of investigations and legal actions involving security and anti-corruption agencies, alongside court cases he has initiated to challenge aspects of his detention and the search of his residence.
