For many Nigerians, it is difficult to keep track of the countless breaking stories coming up daily. But it’s hard to miss news of Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai’s detentions this week. Why would a former Governor and Minister get detained three times in one week?
First, he got detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Then, the Department of State Services (DSS), and now, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed he’s in their custody.
This series of arrests sparks the question: “What has El-Rufai done?” “What is happening to him?” “Is this for accountability or a political witch-hunt? 
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Who is Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai?
Born on February 16, 1960, El-Rufai rose from a first-class Quantity Surveying graduate of Ahmadu Bello University to one of Nigeria’s most influential public officials.
He served as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises under President Olusegun Obasanjo, later becoming Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. During his time as a minister, he earned a reputation for aggressive reforms.
In 2015, he was elected Governor of Kaduna State and served two terms until 2023. His tenure as Governor championed treasury reforms, education restructuring, digital land systems, and controversial fiscal policies.
But the reformer is now under investigation and aggressively so.
The Timeline of El-Rufai’s Detentions
On February 16, 2026, El-Rufai honoured an EFCC invitation regarding allegations stemming from a 2024 Kaduna State House of Assembly report. The report accused his administration of mismanaging loans and allegedly siphoning over N423bn–N432bn between 2015 and 2023.
An EFCC source confirmed: “The commission has been investigating him for about a year… Persons accused are always the last after we might have done our investigation to an advanced stage.”
His lawyer, A.U. Mustapha (SAN), insisted: “He is cooperating to the best of his capacity… he is presumed innocent.”
While EFCC questioning was ongoing, the Federal Government filed cybercrime charges over alleged unlawful interception of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s phone communications. The charges referenced comments El-Rufai made on ARISE TV: “The government thinks they are the only ones who listen to calls… someone tapped his phone and told us.”
Then, on February 18, after EFCC reportedly granted bail, operatives of the DSS immediately took him into custody over the interception allegation. Shortly after, the ICPC confirmed in an official statement that he was now in its custody “in connection with investigations.”
El-Rufai’s detentions by three agencies in one week are certainly worth looking into.
The Ribadu Factor
The political undertone cannot be ignored. El-Rufai and Ribadu were once allies under Obasanjo. But analysis from political figures like Former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, has traced their rivalry back to 2007.
At the time, a Tinubu-commissioned opinion survey reportedly favoured Ribadu over El-Rufai as a northern presidential prospect. According to Osuntokun: “The result clearly favoured Ribadu… That marked the beginning of enduring bad blood.”
Tensions deepened after President Tinubu’s 2023 victory. Ribadu emerged as National Security Adviser, while El-Rufai’s ministerial nomination stalled amid Senate clearance controversies. El-Rufai later left the APC and openly opposed Tinubu’s second-term ambitions.
During a recent chat with DCL Hausa, he declared: “Nobody is as wicked as Nuhu Ribadu in Tinubu’s administration.”
Could those strong words be bringing stronger consequences?
Accountability or Political Witch Hunt?
Supporters argue this is overdue accountability over serious financial allegations. The Kaduna Assembly recommended prosecution, and EFCC insists investigations have been ongoing for a year.
Critics, however, point to timing. With 2027 politics heating up and El-Rufai repositioning himself in opposition circles, some see selective enforcement.
In this same period, Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga accused El-Rufai of attempting to “create political tension.” Also, security sources say investigations into the 2019 disappearance of critic Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata) have also been reopened.
So what could this series of Mallan Nasiru El-Rufai’s detentions be really about? Is this an anti-corruption enforcement, cybercrime prosecution, or a high-stakes political reckoning between former allies turned rivals?
Whatever it is that Nigerians are watching unfold here, the courts (not television studios) will now decide the next phase.
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