Abuja, March 17, 2026 — Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday moved to correct what it described as misleading media reports surrounding the ongoing detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.
In a press statement issued the same day, the Commission clarified that its appearance in court on Monday was not to seek a fresh extension of El-Rufai’s remand, as some media outlets had reported, but rather to respond to an application filed by the former governor’s legal team on March 6, seeking to overturn an existing remand order.
During proceedings, counsel to El-Rufai was served with the Commission’s response to the application and immediately requested an adjournment to study it. The presiding Magistrate granted the request, adjourning the matter to March 31, 2026.
The ICPC also provided a timeline of events leading to the current detention. An initial remand order was granted authorising the Commission to hold El-Rufai for 14 days while investigating allegations of money laundering and abuse of office. A 14-day extension was subsequently granted by the court on March 5, 2026. An earlier attempt by El-Rufai’s lawyers to set aside the February 19 remand order was dismissed on March 9.
The Commission maintained that El-Rufai’s detention is fully lawful and consistent with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The statement was signed by John Okor Odey, Head of Media and Public Communication at the ICPC.
