The media aide to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Muyiwa Adekeye, has disclosed that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has yet to respond to a bail request submitted on behalf of his principal following his continued detention.
Adekeye made the disclosure on Monday, stating that El-Rufai honoured an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, 2026, but has remained in custody since reporting to the agency.
He explained that the former governor was initially held by the EFCC before he was later transferred to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on February 18.
According to him, lawyers representing El-Rufai have yet to receive any feedback regarding the bail application and have not been presented with any remand order, despite the expiration of the constitutional timeframe permitted for detention without formal charges.
Adekeye further stated that El-Rufai is expected to be arraigned on February 25 on charges instituted by the Department of State Services, while the Federal Capital Territory High Court is also scheduled to hear his fundamental rights enforcement suit on the same day.
He noted in a statement posted on X that the former governor had spent eight days in detention after voluntarily appearing before the EFCC, adding that his legal team had not been given official reasons justifying the prolonged custody.
Providing a timeline of events, Adekeye said the situation began shortly after El-Rufai returned to Nigeria on February 12, alleging that his passport was confiscated at the airport during what his lawyers described as a failed attempt to arrest him.
He added that the ICPC subsequently invited him to appear on February 13, with his lawyers proposing February 18 as a convenient date, while insisting that he remained in EFCC custody between February 16 and 18 despite reportedly being granted administrative bail with conditions that included producing a serving federal permanent secretary as surety.
El-Rufai’s counsel, Ubong Akpan, was quoted as describing the continued detention as unlawful, alleging that access to the former governor by both family members and legal representatives had been limited.
Adekeye also alleged that ICPC operatives searched El-Rufai’s residence on Aso Drive on February 19, an action his lawyer criticised as illegal and carried out using what he described as a defective warrant.
He added that another bail application filed after the search had not received any response, while El-Rufai later approached the Federal High Court on February 23 to challenge the legality of the search warrant.
According to Adekeye, the suit is seeking a declaration that the warrant lacked clarity and probable cause, as well as an order restraining authorities from relying on items recovered during the search in any proceedings against him.
