Court To Rule On ICPC’s Request For Fresh 14-Day Detention Of El-Rufai
A Magistrate Court in Abuja has fixed Tuesday, March 17, to rule on a request by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) seeking an additional 14 days to detain former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The presiding magistrate, Okechukwu Akweke, adjourned the matter to allow the court determine whether to grant or dismiss the anti-graft agency’s application.
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, following allegations of money laundering and the illegal interception of the communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The commission had earlier obtained a 14-day remand order from a Magistrate Court in Bwari on February 19, 2026.
The order, however, expired on March 5.
Following the expiration of the remand order, El-Rufai’s lawyers, family members and supporters criticised his continued detention, describing it as unlawful.
They argued that since the legal basis for holding him had lapsed and no fresh order had been secured, the commission should either release him or formally charge him before a competent court.
The former governor subsequently filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, challenging what he described as his prolonged and unlawful detention.
Joined in the suit are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the ICPC and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
However, the ICPC has denied violating El-Rufai’s fundamental rights, insisting that it obtained a valid 14-day remand order to detain the former governor, which it said can be renewed pending the conclusion of its investigation.
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