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The family of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned the allegation of recovering sophisticated phone-tapping equipment and sensitive security documents from his residence in Abuja.
A statement issued on behalf of the family on Monday by Mr El-Rufai’s son, Bello El-Rufai who is a serving member of the House of Representatives, described the claims contained in a court filing submitted at the FCT High Court in Abuja by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) as “falsehoods” and part of a “malicious smear campaign”.
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The statement said no such equipment was found during the search of the former governor’s home by ICPC agents.
The statement was issued in response to media reports on the counter-affidavit the ICPC filed in opposition to Mr El-Rufa’s fundamental rights enforcement suit.
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Mr El-Rufai had filed the suit at the court, alleging that his arrest and detention violated his fundamental rights. He asked the court to declare the actions of the anti-graft agencies unlawful and to award him N1 billion in damages.
But the ICPC subsequently filed a counter-affidavit with a cache of documents attached to it to oppose the suit.
The anti-graft agency urged the court to dismiss the suit, citing its ongoing investigations and suspicious items it discovered at the former governor’s home in Abuja.
The ICPC said it executed a search warrant at Mr El-Rufai’s residence at 12 Mambilla Street, Asokoro, Abuja, on 19 February. According to the commission, the search was witnessed by his wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai.
It said several electronic devices and documents were recovered. The commission claimed that some of the documents relate to security matters and that certain equipment capable of intercepting communications was found.
The ICPC further stated that Mr El-Rufai declined to give consent for forensic access to some of the devices recovered.
“During the said search which was witnessed by the Applicant’s wife, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai and his son Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the Commission retrieved sensitive security documents capable of compromising nation security.
“During the Search operations, the Commission retrieved electronic magnetic equipment capable of tapping conversations and he was asked to give consent to enable the Commission access to the equipment but he refused,” the document read.
The commission also informed the court that a potential witness wrote to it requesting protection, alleging threats after public comments made during a television interview.
Family rejects claims
Reacting to the allegations, the family accused the anti-graft agency of attempting to criminalise Mr El-Rufai’s decision to remain silent during interrogation.
Quoting the former governor Nasir El-Rufai, the statement read:
“CHARGE ME, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ME. YOU HAVE HAD MORE THAN 2 YEARS TO INVESTIGATE ME. TAKE ME TO COURT PLEASE.”
The family maintained that his silence in custody was an exercise of his constitutional right and not evidence of guilt, stressing:
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees every citizen the right to remain silent.”
They further argued that drawing negative inferences from that silence reflects what they called an “inquisitorial mindset” on the part of the ICPC.
Response to alleged seizure of items during search
The family countered that only personal effects were taken from the searched home.
“WE WERE PRESENT WHEN THESE ITEMS WERE SEIZED. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones… storage devices like flash drives and laptops… were seized from the property,” the younger El-Rufai said.
According to them, the alleged “sophisticated tapping equipment” exists only “in the fevered imagination of the ICPC and its press team.”
Allegation of forged search warrant
A major plank of the family’s response is the claim that the search itself was based on an invalid warrant.
Their statement alleged that the warrant was fraudulently procured and signed by a magistrate “purporting to sit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory,” describing the entire process as legally defective.
“Our lawyers have challenged this illegitimate warrant in a court of competent jurisdiction,” the statement added, inviting the ICPC to justify the document in court.
The family further accused the Commission of engaging in “forgery, uttering of false documents, and the peddling of falsehood.”
Background
Mr El-Rufai’s current legal troubles began with his arrest by the (EFCC) over allegations linked to financial transactions and abuse of office during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.
He spent two days in EFCC custody but was immediately rearrested by ICPC agents as soon as the EFCC released him on bail.
Mr El-Rufai was in custody whey ICPC agents carried out the search of his residence.
At present, the former governor remains in ICPC custody pending the conclusion of investigations and possible arraignment in court.
The ICPC has maintained that its actions are within the law and part of its mandate to investigate corruption and related offences.
Family seeks trial in proper court
The El-Rufai family insisted the former governor would not be tried in “court of public opinion” but instead in a properly constituted court of law.
“We have absolute faith that the Nigerian judiciary will see through this shameful charade and uphold the rights of our family,” the statement concluded.
As the dispute escalates, attention is now shifting to the courts, where the legality of the search warrant and the admissibility of any recovered items are expected to be tested.
Mr El-Rufai has persistently described his travails and those of his former aides facing investigations and prosecutions by the anti-corruption agencies in the last two years as politically-motivated.
The former governor fell out with President Bola Tinubu after supporting him to win the presidency in 2023.
Their relationship turned sour after Mr Tinubu’s initial plan to appoint Mr El-Rufai a minister was thwarted under controversial at the Senate which declined confirming his nomination citing security reasons.
Mr El-Rufai, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defected from the party last year and joined the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC). He vowed to ensure Mr Tinubu is no relected in 2027.
A fierce critic of the President Tinubu administration, Mr El-Rufai has said his investigations by the EFCC and ICPC were politically motivated. But the EFCC has responded to similar allegations from other political figures, saying being a member of the opposition does not confer immunity on anyone suspected of crime.
Read the full statement below:
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the most Merciful, I had tried to stay off social media to focus on Ramadan, my family and my work on behalf of the excellent people of Kaduna North. But I have chosen to break my silence to put an end to a blatant lie. Attached is the statement in response to the allegation by a Toilet Newspaper called the Nation on a story from their ICPC sources and sauces. The statement is posted below. Ramadan Mubarak to everyone. Please pray for peace, starting with Nigeria and then the world.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RE: ICPC’s PHANTOM PHONE TAPPING EQUIPMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO SILENCE: A STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF MALLAM NASIR EL-RUFAI
The family of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has noted with a mixture of contempt and amusement the recent litany of allegations, falsehoods, and theatrical posturing emanating from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
It is deeply unfortunate that a constitutionally established agency has descended into what can only be described as a circus of chicanery, apparently designed to prosecute a media war rather than adhere to the rule of law. We are compelled to set the record straight and expose the malicious intent behind this orchestrated smear campaign.
1. On the Right to Silence and Non-Cooperation:
The ICPC has ludicrously attempted to weaponize the silence of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai against him, claiming he “refused to cooperate.” We must educate the Commission on the most basic tenet of Nigerian jurisprudence: The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees every citizen the right to remain silent. This is not an act of non-cooperation; it is a fundamental human right. No law enforcement agency, regardless of its frustration at a failed operation, is entitled to draw any negative inference from a citizen’s decision to exercise this constitutional hermetic seal. That the ICPC believes silence implies guilt is a confession of their own inquisitorial mindset and their disregard for the very laws they are sworn to uphold.
Our father, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has said in all interactions with law enforcement: “CHARGE ME, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ME. YOU HAVE HAD MORE THAN 2 YEARS TO INVESTIGATE ME. TAKE ME TO COURT PLEASE.”
This challenge cannot be met. It is the reason for these lies and obfuscation by ICPC.
2. The Fictitious Phone Tapping Equipment and List of Seized Items
The ICPC’s press statement presented a list of seized equipment designed to conjure images of espionage and criminality. This list is a work of fiction, for reasons which will soon become known.
a) Endorsement: This list has not been endorsed by Mallam el-Rufai or his legal representatives.
b) Reality: WE WERE PRESENT WHEN THESE ITEMS WERE SEIZED. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones some dating back as much as 20 years, storage devices like flash drives and laptops, which are standard possessions of any 21st-century citizen, were seized from the property. The alleged “sophisticated tapping equipment” and “sensitive security documents” exist only in the fevered imagination of the ICPC and its press team.
3. The Tainted Foundation: A Forged Warrant:
The entire foundation of this investigation is rotten. The search that purportedly uncovered these phantom items originated from a legally defective warrant. We have credible evidence that the warrant was a forgery, fraudulently procured and presented by a Magistrate who was, bizarrely, purporting to sit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. An illegality of this magnitude—a forgery at the very inception of a state-sponsored search—renders everything that follows it inadmissible and void. Our lawyers have challenged this illegitimate warrant in a court of competent jurisdiction. The ICPC is welcome to explain in court how a Magistrate conjured the jurisdiction of a High Court to sign a warrant based on false premises.
4. The ICPC’s Credibility Deficit:
The ICPC’s statement is a textbook example of projection, the guilty person ascribing his crimes to his victim. It is a document riddled with the very offenses it is meant to combat. We see before us a litany of forgery, uttering of false documents, and the peddling of falsehood that is nothing short of criminal. This level of unprofessional conduct, abuse of office, and sheer chicanery is the hallmark of an organization that has been completely captured and weaponized. It is an organization so bereft of any redeeming feature of credibility that it must now manufacture evidence to justify its existence.
We will not be tried in the court of public opinion by a discredited agency acting on behalf of political masters. We have instructed our legal team to pursue all available legal remedies to challenge the illegal search, the forged warrant, and the defamatory statements made by the ICPC. We have absolute faith that the Nigerian judiciary will see through this shameful charade and uphold the rights of our family against this executive overreach.
It would not surprise us if the ICPC were to produce something of that nature in furtherance of its descent into infamy. After all a court of law has already lampooned ICPC in another matter, of procuring fake search warrants.
Signed, This 2nd March 2026
The El-Rufai Family
Signed
Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai
Member. A PROUD SON OF MALLAM NASIR EL-RUFAI
Kaduna North Federal Constituency
Chairman, Committee on Banking Regulations.
March 2nd, 2026.
