Olawunmi Ajibike
Officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have reportedly recovered wiretapping equipment capable of intercepting conversations and accessing sensitive security documents from the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
According to the Commission, the items were retrieved during a search conducted in the presence of the former governor’s wife, Hadiza, and his son, Mohammed Bello.
A former Kaduna State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, disclosed in a Facebook post on Monday that the agency also alleged that El-Rufai declined to cooperate with investigators, choosing to remain silent until he is formally arraigned in court.
The post further claimed that an aide of the former governor linked to the investigation had fled the country.
In court filings, the anti-graft agency stated that it obtained a 14-day detention order from a Magistrate Court in Bwari, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to hold the former governor. The order is expected to expire on Thursday.
The Commission denied allegations of arbitrary detention and political repression, urging the High Court of the FCT to dismiss El-Rufai’s application challenging what he described as a violation of his fundamental human rights.
Additionally, the ICPC said the former governor has questions to answer over alleged corruption matters, including the whereabouts of €1.4 million; 180 suspicious payments totaling N2,158,799,199 from a Consolidated Revenue Account linked to Kaduna State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) account; and transfers amounting to N428,122,180.18 to undisclosed accounts, among other allegations.