Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been released from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following the death of his mother.
His son, Bashir El-Rufai, confirmed the development in a post shared on X late Friday, expressing gratitude to supporters while criticising the circumstances surrounding his father’s detention.
“My beloved great legend of a father (@elrufai) is being released from his unlawful & illegal detention… Thank you all for the support. Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufais always do,” he wrote.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the ICPC spokesperson, Okor Odey, were unsuccessful as of press time, leaving the specific conditions attached to the release unclear.
Earlier on Friday, the passing of El-Rufai’s mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, was announced by her grandson, Bello El-Rufai, via Facebook.
“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un… I would like to inform the public of the demise of my grandmother… We are grateful for the life she lived and may Allah bless her gentle soul,” he wrote, also calling for prayers on behalf of the family.
El-Rufai had been in ICPC custody since February 18, shortly after his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On Tuesday, he was arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion of public funds and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to all charges before a Federal High Court in Kaduna.
The presiding judge, Rilwanu Aikawa, adjourned the hearing of his bail application to March 31 after listening to arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
The temporary release is believed to allow the former governor attend his mother’s funeral rites, as legal proceedings against him continue.
