The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) wishes to clarify the current legal status of the remand in detention of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.
This statement is necessary to correct inaccurate reports by some media outlets suggesting that the Commission was in court on 17th March 2026, seeking a fresh extension of his detention.
In a statement by John Okor Odey
Head, Media and Public Communication, ICP,
The Commission appeared in Court for the hearing of Mallam El-Rufai’s
application, dated and filed on 6th March 2026, which seeks to overturn the court order
renewing his remand issued on 5th March 2026. During the proceedings, counsel to Mr El-Rufai was served with our response to his application.
The lawyer subsequently requested an adjournment to respond to the
Commission’s response. Consequently, the Magistrate adjourned the hearing of the
application to 31st March 2026 to allow Mr El-Rufai’s team sufficient time to react to our response.
To keep the public informed, the Commission provides the following timeline of the court authorised detention.
The initial remand order was granted, allowing the Commission to
detain the suspect for 14 days to investigate allegations of money laundering and abuse of office.
Upon the expiration of the initial order, the Commission applied for a 14-day extension to complete its investigations, which the court acceded to on 5th March, 2026.
Counsel to El-Rufai attempted to set aside the remand order issued on 19th February,
2026, but the application was dismissed on 9th March, 2026. Mallam El-Rufai remains in the lawful custody of the ICPC under the remand order dated
5th March, 2026. The Commission is strictly following the court mandated timeline, including the requirement for a progress report.
The ICPC conducts its duties with the
highest professionalism and respect for the rule of law. The remand of Mr El-Rufai has been authorised by a court of law in accordance with the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Furthermore, the ICPC remains firm in upholding its longstanding policy of avoiding media trials. We believe that legal disputes should be settled in the courtroom, not on newspaper pages and social media platforms.
The Commission’s leadership remains steadfast and undeterred in confronting any and all challenges in the course of the current investigation.
We urge the public to avoid spreading unverified information and to rely on official updates from the Commission. It concludes.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
