ICPC has refused to grant El-Rufai bail, aide raises alarm

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has yet to grant bail to Nasir El-Rufai, eight days after his detention, raising concerns among his legal team and family.

In a statement on Monday, Muyiwa Adekeye, media adviser to El-Rufai, said the former Kaduna governor has remained in custody since he voluntarily reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, 2026, in response to an invitation.

According to the statement, El-Rufai was held by the EFCC until the night of February 18, when he was transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Adekeye said El-Rufai’s lawyers submitted an application for bail to the ICPC on February 19 but have yet to receive a response.

He added that the legal team has also not been shown any remand order authorising El-Rufai’s continued detention, despite the expiration of the constitutionally allowed 48-hour period for holding a person without charge.

Adekeye disclosed that at least two court matters involving El-Rufai are scheduled for this week. A fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Federal Government, the ICPC, the EFCC and the Department of State Services is fixed for hearing on February 25 at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The suit seeks an order admitting him to bail.

El-Rufai is also scheduled to be arraigned on the same date over charges reportedly filed by the DSS.

Providing a timeline of events, Adekeye said ICPC officials searched El-Rufai’s residence on Aso Drive on February 19. His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, condemned the search, describing it as unlawful and carried out with a defective warrant. El-Rufai has since approached the Federal High Court, asking it to declare the search warrant invalid on grounds including lack of probable cause, overbreadth and material drafting errors.

The suit names the ICPC, the Chief Magistrate of the FCT, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents. El-Rufai is also seeking an injunction restraining the use of items seized during the search in any proceedings against him.

Earlier, between February 16 and 18, El-Rufai was interrogated by the EFCC and granted administrative bail with conditions that included providing a serving federal permanent secretary as a surety. His lawyers applied for a variation of the bail terms, but he remained in custody. Akpan described the situation as unlawful detention and said lawyers and family members faced difficulties accessing him.

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