The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, March 18, 2026 handed over a total sum of N3,936,145, 822 to the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC Ltd.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Tuesday, imposed a N500,000 fine against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for seeking multiple adjournments in the trial of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele.
The Federal Government has now resolved to file charges against the former governor of Kaduna State and minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nasir El-Rufai, after 30 days of his illegal detention.
The government, through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, detained El-Rufai over alleged illegal wire tapping of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
However, sources close to the ICPC indicate that the Federal Government has bowed to public pressure to either release Mallam El-Rufai or charge him to court.
It was alleged that the ICPC has finally been pushed to act, having received approval from higher authorities to file headline grabbing charges in court. It was also learnt that the ICPC and its collaborators have prepared to traduce El-Rufai in the media with sensational claims.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly had claimed that N432bn of public funds were missing. In the two years.
It is reminiscent of the Farida Waziri-led EFCC which from 2008 alleged that N32bn was missing from the sale of Federal Government houses that was supervised by El-Rufai. They got their media associates to lead with that story for over two years. Yet, there was no mention of any missing N32bn when then EFCC finally filed charges in 2010.
El-Rufai also approached the Federal High Court which issued a declaratory order that no such funds were missing from the sale of Federal Government houses. El-Rufai challenged the Kaduna State House of Assembly report in a fundamental rights enforcement case he filed at the Federal High Court in 2024.
El-Rufai reported voluntarily to the EFCC on February 16, 2026 but was transferred to the ICPC on February 18, 2026. He had repeatedly told officials who interrogated him to charge him to court with any evidence they had against him.
El-Rufai’s illegal detention and the campaign of vilification by the ICPC have exposed the political nature of the persecution he is enduring, including sensational claims the ICPC made in an affidavit stating that wiretapping equipment were recovered from El- Rufai’s residence.
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