Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was rearrested on Wednesday night by officers believed to be from the State Security Service (SSS) shortly after he was granted bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), officials and witnesses said.
El-Rufai, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had been held by the EFCC since Monday in connection with a year-long corruption investigation, and was released on bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday. However, as he left the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, armed operatives immediately took him into custody, witnesses told reporters.
It is unclear which security agency carried out the rearrest. A source familiar with the situation said the operatives were from the SSS, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence service, but other accounts suggested officers from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) may have been involved.
New Charges: Phone Tapping Allegation
The latest arrest appears tied to cybercrime charges filed by the SSS against El-Rufai over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
On Monday, the SSS charged El-Rufai at the Federal High Court, Abuja, accusing him of unlawfully accessing the NSA’s phone and failing to report others who conducted the interception. Prosecutors allege the offence violated provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Background to Arrest
The sequence began last Thursday when security operatives attempted to arrest El-Rufai at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport shortly after he returned from Cairo, Egypt. Videos circulating online showed a confrontation between his entourage and security personnel, and his international passport was reportedly seized during the encounter.
In a televised interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, El-Rufai claimed that someone had tapped the NSA’s phone and that he overheard instructions directing his detention — remarks that appear to have prompted the cybercrime charge.
El-Rufai’s legal team has described earlier actions as arbitrary and in violation of constitutional rights, insisting that invitations to appear before anti-graft agencies were communicated while he was abroad, making immediate compliance impractical.
El-Rufai, once an ally of President Bola Tinubu who later became a vocal critic, also faces ongoing scrutiny over a N432 billion corruption probe linked to his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.
