The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has insisted that the remand order used to detain former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai can be renewed while investigations into the allegations against him continue.
ENigeria Newspaper learnt that the commission made the clarification amid criticism from the former governor’s lawyers, relatives and supporters who have questioned the legality of his continued detention after the initial remand period elapsed.
Since February 18, 2026, El-Rufai has been under the anti-graft agency’s custody due to accusations of money laundering and alleged illegal interception of communications belonging to Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser.
On February 19, 2026, a magistrate court in Bwari, Abuja, granted the ICPC a 14-day detention order to keep the former governor while investigations were conducted. On March 5, the remand order came to an end. El-Rufai’s legal team contended that his prolonged incarceration was illegal after that order expired and demanded that the commission either free him or bring formal charges before an appropriate court.
In response, the ICPC insisted that it had a legitimate 14-day remand order to detain the former governor and contended that the order may be extended while its investigation was ongoing.
In the meantime, El-Rufai has filed a fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit with the Federal Capital Territory High Court, contesting what he called “prolonged and unlawful detention.”
Joined in the case are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the ICPC and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
A magistrate court in Abuja, presided over by Okechukwu Akweke, has fixed Tuesday, March 17, to rule on the commission’s fresh application seeking another 14 days to detain the former governor while investigations continue.
