El-Rufai released from ICPC custody to attend mother’s burial
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has released the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, from its custody.
His release on Friday follows the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away in Cairo, Egypt, earlier the same day.
El-Rufai had been in detention since February 19, 2026, following a 48-hour interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ICPC subsequently arraigned him before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on a 10-count charge involving alleged money laundering and the conversion of public property.
While the court had adjourned his bail application until March 31, the anti-graft agency opted to grant him release on compassionate grounds to allow him to attend his mother’s funeral rites.
Family sources indicate that the remains of Hajiya Umma El-Rufai are expected to be flown back to Nigeria from Cairo on Saturday.
An aide to the former governor confirmed that the bereavement was the primary catalyst for the commission’s decision to approve his release at this time.
Reacting to the development, the former governor’s son, Bashir El-Rufai, confirmed his father’s freedom in a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter).
He characterized the detention as “unlawful and illegal” while expressing gratitude to supporters. “Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufais,” he wrote..
