Detained former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s legal team has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of fabricating narratives linking him to multi-billion-naira properties in Egypt.
The team lead, Ubong Akpan, said this in a statement on Monday, reacting to several news reports alleging that ICPC’s investigations had uncovered six real estate assets in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, allegedly linked to Mr El-Rufai.
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The reports which relied on anonymous sources stated that three villas and six apartments, allegedly connected with the former governor, were located in highbrow estates and areas in Cairo.
“This fabricated narrative, devoid of verifiable evidence and reliant on shadowy ‘sources,’ is not an investigation,” Mr Akpan said Monday, “but a desperate smear campaign designed to justify the ongoing unlawful detention of a citizen who has committed no crime.”
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“It exemplifies the ICPC’s transformation from an anti-corruption agency into a criminal enterprise, perpetrating prosecutorial misconduct, hostage-taking, and violations of fundamental rights in pursuit of a failed agenda of political persecution.”
Mr El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since 19 February, after his release from days of detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had detained him after he honoured an invitation on Monday, 16 February.
The former governor, who is also facing prosecution by the State Security Service (SSS) over his claim of tapping National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu’s phone call, remains in ICPC’s custody as of the time of filing this report on Wednesday.
Mr El-Rufai has maintained that he is being subjected to political persecution over his affiliation with the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
His family has also called for his release from custody, while condemning the search on his house in Abuja last month and ICPC’s framing of the finds from the search.
His lawyer stated on Monday that the “leaks” reported by different news platforms was another instance exposing ICPC’s “descent into a tool of political vendetta through the dissemination of baseless, anonymous ‘leaks’ alleging multi-billion naira properties in Egypt linked to my client, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.”
The statement alleged that the ICPC has held him hostage without charge since 18 February.
It traced the former governor’s ongoing ordeal to the night of 18 February, when operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) under the direction of their director-general “unlawfully” rendered Mr El-Rufai from EFCC custody—where he had voluntarily reported on 16 February and released on bail – and transferred him to ICPC agents.
“This detention, now exceeding 20 days, contravenes Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates arraignment within a reasonable time,” the statement added.
It also said there is no legal basis for Mr El-Rufai’s continued detention.
The lawyer said in the statement that the “purported 14-day remand order, issued on 19 February 2026 by a magistrate court lacking jurisdiction over the alleged offences, expired on 4 March 2026 and was never served on my client or his counsel, rendering it void ab initio and the continued confinement patently illegal.”
Mr Akpan said the leaks reported in the media were designed to justify the ongoing unlawful detention of his client.
He further alleged that ICPC operatives attempted to pressure the former governor to abandon his political activities, warning that detention would continue if he refused.
“This is not law enforcement; it is state-sponsored extortion and abuse of power, further evidenced by the arbitrary revocation of bail for associates like Mr Joel Adoga, who was detained for refusing to fabricate confessions,” the statement added.
Mr Akpan said Mr El-Rufai has consistently challenged the ICPC to charge him in court if any evidence exists. He recalled that Mr El-Rufai made this demand publicly and in writing since 16 February.
“Their resounding silence, coupled with these malicious leaks, confirms the absence of any substantive case and reveals a politically motivated witch-hunt,” it said, adding that the resort to anonymous media plants, rather than judicial process, “betrays their fear of scrutiny and underscores their complicity in forgery (Section 363) and using forged documents (Section 364) to perpetuate this injustice.”
The lawyer said criminal complaints have been filed against the ICPC chairperson, Musa Aliyu, and SSS director-general over the alleged unlawful detention, and demanded Mr El-Rufai’s release or arraignment in court.
According to the lawyer, ICPC’s actions “constitute grave offences under the Penal Code, including wrongful confinement (Section 264), wrongful restraint (Sections 265-266), and wrongful confinement with intent to compel cessation of political activity (Section 267)—the equivalent of hostage-taking through extortionate demands.”
Lawyer writes ICPC over El-Rufai’s continued detention
Meanwhile, Mr Akpan has demanded Mr El-Rufai’s release in a separate letter to the ICPC chairperson.
The letter dated 6 March was copied to other authorities including the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), maintained that the former Kaduna State governor was being held illegally.
Others copied the letter are the Inspector-General of Police, the chairperson of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) of the Body of Benchers, the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the chairperson, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption.
The letter maintained that the original remand order dated 19 February was secured through sworn representations stating that investigations were diligent, there was probable cause to charge El-Rufai, and that detention for 14 days was necessary to conclude the investigation.
It added that all the undertakings had been breached, as no charges were filed by the expiration of the 14 days on 4 March, and the commission’s efforts to obtain an additional remand period demonstrate that the initial representations were false.
It also accused the agency of failing to serve the remand order on him or his counsel, violating his right to a fair hearing under Section 36 of the Nigerian constitution.
Mr Akpan said the ICPC was seeking a further remand order to extend his detention, despite the expiration of the original 14-day period.
He further alleged that officers had acted in contempt of court and perjury by allegedly making false sworn statements to secure both the original remand and the proposed renewal.
“The original order was obtained by fraud. The renewal application seeks to perpetuate that fraud,” Mr Akpan wrote.
The letter warned that these actions could be referred to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation and possible prosecution.
Mr Akpan attached to the letter copies of a notice of preliminary objection his team already filed in the Bwari Magisterial Division (Suit No: MT/BWR/RMD/01/2026) and a motion before the FCT High Court (Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/950/2026) to block any attempt to extend the remand order and prohibit any continued detention.
The lawyer argued that this move “satisfied every element of abuse of court process, including forum shopping and deliberate disregard for jurisdiction, as the Magistrate Court in Bwari lacks authority to try money laundering offences, which fall exclusively under the Federal High Court.
Demand for immediate release
The letter demanded the immediate release of Mr El-Rufai, the withdrawal of the renewal application before the magistrate court, a public apology in three national newspapers, and N2 billion in damages, split equally between compensatory, aggravated, and punitive damages, and costs.
The lawyers also indicated plans to report the conduct of legal officers to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for professional misconduct.
It concluded that the commission, established to fight corruption, had itself “abandoned the rule of law and embraced the rule of the jungle,” treating the liberty of a citizen as “a plaything to be manipulated through forum shopping and fraudulent misrepresentation.”
ICPC responds
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted by our reporter to respond to the media leaks and alleged illegal detention of Mr El-Rufai on Tuesday, ICPC spokesperson John Oddey said the commission could not comment on reports circulating on social media.
“Have you seen any ICPC document related to the alleged property?” he asked, as he maintained that, “ICPC operates within the confines of the law.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported details and major developments shared by the ICPC in its filings against a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit Mr El-Rufai instituted at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the court documents, the ICPC gave its reasons for detaining Mr El-Rufai.
The documents also included full details of items recovered from the former governor’s home in Abuja and the full statements he wrote while in custody as of the filing date.
