Former Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has arrived at his Abuja residence following his release from custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
ICPC have granted him a temporary release on compassionate grounds to enable him to attend the burial of his late mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai.
Hajiya Umma El-Rufai died in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday after a period of illness.
El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, confirmed his father’s release in a post on his X handle on Friday night, writing: “Alhamdulillah. My beloved great legend of a father is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 18 over allegations bordering on financial misconduct and other related matters. He spent over a month with the commission before his arraignment earlier this week before the Kaduna division of the Federal High Court.
The former governor was arraigned alongside one Joel Adoga, on charges bordering on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering.
According to the ICPC, the defendants were docked on a 10-count charge bordering on abuse of office, money laundering, and fraud. Specifically, the commission alleged that El-Rufai, in September 2020 and January 2023, received the sum of N289,826,998.12 on each occasion as severance allowance far exceeding the legally entitled sum of N20,013,245.00.
