El-Rufai released from detention after death of his mother

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been released from detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, hours after the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away on Friday in Cairo, where she had been living.

The release was announced by El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, on X at 9:56 p.m. on Saturday. His mother’s death had been announced earlier that day by her grandson, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who confirmed she died in the Egyptian capital. She is survived by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The timing lends a sombre dimension to the end of a detention that the family has consistently condemned as unlawful. El-Rufai has been held by the ICPC for approximately one month over corruption allegations, having previously been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on 24th March on charges of inflated severance payments and fraud. The ICPC had maintained that his detention rested on a valid court order.

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In announcing his father’s release, Bashir El-Rufai did not soften his criticism of the agency. “My beloved great legend of a father is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he wrote.

The news of Hajiya Umma’s death drew a public condolence from National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu — a gesture that will not go unnoticed given that El-Rufai has repeatedly named Ribadu as the force behind his legal troubles. “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hajiya Umma El-Rufai,” Ribadu wrote on X. “My heartfelt condolences to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the entire family.”

Ribadu did not address El-Rufai’s allegations against him.