El-Rufai Detention: Ex-Kaduna Governor Held by EFCC
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has spent a second night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as he continues to answer questions regarding an alleged N432 billion missing funds during his tenure and potential criminal prosecution for phone tapping.
It has been confirmed that Nasir El-Rufai, a prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former governor of Kaduna State, remains in the custody of the anti-graft agency. He is reportedly providing further answers to questions posed by detectives from the commission. This development follows Monday’s report detailing how operatives of the EFCC grilled the former governor for several hours after he honoured their invitation.
Probe into Alleged Missing Funds and Phone Tapping
El-Rufai was subsequently detained as part of an ongoing investigation into some N432 billion in missing funds, reportedly linked to his time as governor of Kaduna State. In addition to the financial probe, El-Rufai is also expected to face criminal prosecution concerning the alleged bugging of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu’s phone.
Further checks reveal that in Nigeria, unauthorised phone tapping is considered a serious offence. According to the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, individuals found guilty of such acts could face severe penalties, including up to 10 years imprisonment, fines reaching N10 million, or both.
Continued Detention Expected
Providing an update on Tuesday, a source close to the investigation confided that El-Rufai would likely remain in detention until Wednesday, with the possibility of being granted administrative bail thereafter. “As of now, he would do a vigil with the commission. He’s not going home tonight. I don’t know of tomorrow (Wednesday), but I can confirm to you that he’s with us,” the source informed the media on Tuesday.
Another source, however, disclosed that El-Rufai was permitted to observe his five-daily prayers in detention, as well as Taraweeh prayers, upon the knowledge that Ramadan fasting would commence. Repeated attempts to contact the spokesman for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful as of Tuesday evening, with both text and WhatsApp messages going unanswered.