The family of Nasir El-Rufai has accused Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency of unlawfully detaining the former governor of Kaduna State.
The statement was signed on Friday by Mr El-Rufai’s son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives (Nigeria) representing Kaduna North federal constituency.
According to him, Mr El-Rufai remained in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) without any valid legal authorisation.
They said the politician was first taken into custody on 18 February 2026.
The statement says, the anti-corruption agency later obtained a remand order from a magistrate court on 19 February, which the family described as “defective” and limited to a 14-day detention period.
The family said that period had now expired, and argued that the ICPC had neither filed formal charges against him in a competent court nor secured a fresh order to continue holding him.
“As of today, there is no valid legal instrument authorising his detention,” the statement said.
The ICPC has not publicly responded to the family’s claims.
Mr El-Rufai, who served as governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023, has been a prominent figure in Nigerian politics.
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