Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have searched the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to the former governor, disclosed this in a statement shared on X on Thursday.
“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.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the ICPC spokesperson, Okor Odey, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The development comes a day after the anti-graft agency confirmed that El-Rufai had been taken into custody in connection with ongoing investigations.
Prior to his arrest by the ICPC, El-Rufai 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).
Kano Times reports that the former governor had, on Monday, honoured an invitation by the EFCC over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure between 2015 and 2023.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted El-Rufai over the alleged diversion of N423 billion and money laundering, urging anti-graft agencies to investigate him.
Last week, security operatives also attempted to arrest El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai later alleged that the ICPC, acting on the directive of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, instructed the DSS to arrest him upon arrival.
Speaking during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, El-Rufai claimed that “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to listen to the alleged directive ordering his arrest.
Meanwhile, the DSS has filed a three-count charge against the former governor over the alleged interception of the NSA’s telephone conversation.
