From Victor Osula, Abuja
Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies on Thursday intensified their crackdown on alleged corruption as operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) conducted a search at the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged financial misconduct linked to his administration.
The development was confirmed by El-Rufai’s Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, who disclosed the operation in a post on his X handle.
“UPDATE: The Aso Drive residence of Malam Nasir @elrufai was today searched by the ICPC,” Adekeye wrote.
Reports indicate that the search followed heightened scrutiny of El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor of Kaduna State.
The former governor has remained in ICPC custody since Wednesday night, where he is being questioned by investigators.
El-Rufai was earlier detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday after honouring an invitation by the commission and was subsequently released on administrative bail before being taken into ICPC custody.
Reacting to the operation, one of El-Rufai’s lawyers, Ubong Akpan, described the search as unlawful, alleging that it violated due process and his client’s fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, ICPC spokesperson John Odey confirmed that the former governor was being interrogated by investigators, adding that inquiries were ongoing but declining to provide further details on the allegations under probe.
As of press time, the ICPC had not disclosed whether any documents or items were recovered during the search, nor had it outlined the specific nature of the alleged financial misconduct.
