Trouble for El-Rufai as EFCC detains Ex-Gov over alleged N432bn fraud, phone tapping scandal
By Lai Gidado
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at its Jabi headquarters in Abuja over allegations of N432 billion embezzlement during his tenure in office.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, is being investigated over alleged financial improprieties while serving as governor.
The probe follows his indictment in a 2024 investigative report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which accused him of plunging the state into heavy debt through the alleged mismanagement and diversion of public funds.
In addition to the financial allegations, the former governor is also facing scrutiny over claims that he authorised the illegal tapping of the phone line of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai had reportedly admitted during a national television interview that the NSA’s phone was bugged by his associates shortly after Ribadu returned to the country from Cairo last Wednesday.
Under Nigerian law, intercepting telephone communications without a court order constitutes a criminal offence.
Sources disclosed that although El-Rufai initially resisted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja last Wednesday, he later honoured the EFCC’s invitation on Monday.
He was subsequently grilled for several hours at the Commission’s headquarters over the alleged N432 billion fraud.
An EFCC source familiar with the investigation stated that the former governor had been under probe for over a year, dismissing suggestions of a political witch-hunt despite his recent alignment with opposition elements.
“We do not invite suspects in haste simply because a petition has been filed. He is being investigated based on the allegations raised by the Kaduna State Assembly,” the source said.
The EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that El-Rufai responded to the Commission’s invitation but declined to provide further details regarding the interrogation or the Commission’s next course of action.
The development marks a dramatic escalation in the legal challenges facing the outspoken former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, whose recent criticisms of the Federal Government and security agencies have stirred political tensions.
