By Adesina Soyooye
Free on bail from a two-day detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has been immediately arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
In an ambush, El-Rufai was arrested by operatives of the ICPC Wednesday night as soon as he stepped out from the EFCC after perfecting his bail terms. It was like a handover of baton in a relay race.
In a statement issued late Wednesday night, ICPC Spokesperson, Mr. Okor Odey, confirmed that El-Rufai is in the Commission’s custody.
He was intercepted by the gate of the EFCC as he made to exit the premises.
It is not known for how long El-Rufai, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will be in the custody of the ICPC, but Odey’s statement reads in part:
“The Commission wishes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in our custody as at the close of work today, Wednesday, the 18th day of February, 2026.
“He is in the custody of the Commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”
The ICPC did not specify what investigation it is carrying out after the EFCC had interrogated El-Rufai on the alleged N423billion misappropriated while he was Governor, speculation is that the focus will shift to the huge foreign loans and urban development contracts El-Rufai awarded during his eight-year tenure as Governor of Kaduna State.
For the former power-broker, it is a-three way battle.
*First is with the EFCC where he is facing
allegations of misappropriation of hundreds of billions of Naira belonging to the Kaduna State Government.
*Second is with the ICPC where he is facing investigations into alleged abuse of office and contract inflation while he was Kaduna State Governor.
*The third is with the Department of State Services, DSS, which has already filed charges of
cybercrime against him over his claims of alleged interceptions of telephone calls made by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Opinion is that on release from ICPC custody, he is likely to be picked by the DSS as its high prized guest.
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