Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State was detained overnight at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday after hours of questioning in connection with an alleged N432 billion corruption investigation dating back to his time in office.

El-Rufai, a senior chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), arrived voluntarily at the EFCC’s Jabi office early Monday morning to honor an invitation from the anti-graft agency. Sources say he was interrogated over financial misconduct, including allegations of misused loans, breached procurement processes and a rising debt burden linked to decisions made while he governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023.

An EFCC official told journalists that investigators have been looking into the case for about a year and only invited the former governor after gathering significant evidence.

Corruption Allegations and Local Assembly Report

The probe stems from a 2024 ad hoc committee report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which accused El-Rufai’s administration of mismanaging billions in loans and failing to follow due process in contract awards. That legislative report alleged that roughly N423 billion was misapplied, leaving the state with a heavy debt load and unresolved financial concerns.

El-Rufai has consistently denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations politically motivated and insisting that funds obtained during his tenure were used to support infrastructure, education, healthcare and security reforms across the state.

New Criminal Charges Over NSA Phone Interception

In a separate development, the Federal Government, through the Department of State Services (DSS), has filed three-count criminal charges against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged unlawful interception of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu’s phone communications.

According to the charge sheet, El-Rufai admitted during a February 13 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme that he and unnamed associates illegally intercepted the NSA’s phone communications – an offence punishable under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.

The prosecution further alleges that he failed to report the illegal interception to security agencies and that the actions compromised public safety under provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

As of now, no date has been set for his court arraignment.