KEY POINTS
- EFCC questions el-Rufai over alleged N432 billion misconduct.
- Federal Government files el-Rufai cybercrime charges in Abuja.
- Teargas dispersal near EFCC disrupts hospital patients.
Former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai spent hours on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, where investigators questioned him over alleged financial misconduct involving about N432 billion.
An EFCC official confirmed that el-Rufai was with investigators but declined to say how long the session would last. “He is with our investigators, but it is still early to know how long he will stay,” the official said. The questioning came as the Federal Government filed a three-count charge against el-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
EFCC Questions El-Rufai Over Loans
The EFCC investigation centers on loans obtained during el-Rufai’s tenure as Kaduna State governor between 2015 and 2023. An ad-hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly alleged that parts of the borrowings were mismanaged or deployed without due process. El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing and described the allegations as politically motivated.
Separately, prosecutors from the Department of State Services filed charges alleging that el-Rufai admitted during a Feb. 13 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme that he aligned with others who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s communications. The charge cites provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
Prosecutors allege he failed to report the alleged interception and acted with others still at large. No arraignment date has been set.
El-Rufai Cybercrime Charges Filed
The filing of the el-Rufai cybercrime charges followed his claim that operatives of the Department of State Services attempted to detain him on Feb. 12 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport after his return from Cairo. He said he received information about the move from a source who had access to intercepted conversations.
Outside the EFCC headquarters in Abuja’s Jabi district, pro- and anti-el-Rufai supporters clashed. Operatives fired teargas to disperse the crowd, and fumes drifted into the nearby Federal Medical Centre.
Witnesses said patients, including pregnant women and children, struggled to breathe as smoke entered parts of the hospital complex. The EFCC had not issued a statement on the incident as of press time.
