Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, has become a “personal tool” of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
DAILY POST earlier reported that the remark followed an allegation by El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, who claimed that security agents attempted to arrest the former governor upon his arrival from Cairo.
According to Adekeye, El-Rufai declined to accompany the operatives because they did not present a formal invitation, after which they allegedly seized his passport from an aide.
DAILY POST also reports that El-Rufai is scheduled to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026.
Speaking on the development during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Friday, El-Rufai said the ICPC “increasingly has become a personal tool of Nuhu Ribadu,” adding that the NSA “made the call and gave the order that I must be in custody yesterday.”
He further accused Ribadu of directing security operatives to take him into custody, alleging that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were engaged by the ICPC to detain him.
According to him, “the DSS were procured to abduct me by the ICPC… Subsequently, we found out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to abduct me and then hand me over to them.”
El-Rufai also claimed that his associates became aware of the alleged plan through intercepted communications.
“He made the call because we listen to their calls. The government thinks that they are the only ones who listen to calls. But we also have our ways,” he said, while acknowledging that such interception is “technically illegal.”
The former governor clarified that the EFCC was not involved in the alleged attempt to detain him. “I want to say very clearly, it wasn’t the EFCC… It was the DSS,” he stated, noting that the EFCC had only invited him for questioning through a letter.
He added that he plans to honour the EFCC invitation on Monday before responding to a separate letter delivered by the ICPC.
