Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to former Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, stated that his principal has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for 17 days.
Adekeye, in a statement issued on Thursday, said that federal government agencies have held El-Rufai since he voluntarily reported to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, 2026, before he was later transferred to the ICPC on the night of February 18.
Adekeye also said the ICPC obtained a 14-day remand warrant on February 19 to detain El-Rufai, which is expected to expire on March 5, but the anti-graft agency has not indicated that it plans to charge the former governor in court before or on that date.
The aide added that legal challenges have also been filed against the remand warrant and the search warrant used by the ICPC during the operation at El-Rufai’s home on February 19.
He added, “Meanwhile, the El-Rufai family has rejected claims by the ICPC that wiretapping equipment was recovered during a search of the former governor’s residence on March 2. His lawyers described the allegation as false and said they would take legal action against the commission for what they termed defamatory claims.
“Legal challenges have also been filed against the remand warrant and the search warrant used by the ICPC during the operation at El-Rufai’s home on February 19.
“The case challenging the legality of the search warrant was heard on March 3 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja and adjourned to March 11 to allow all parties to be properly served.
“In the suit, El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the warrant invalid, citing lack of specificity, drafting errors, ambiguity and absence of probable cause. He is also seeking a declaration that the search violated his fundamental rights and an order restraining authorities from using any items recovered during the operation as evidence against him.”
