DSS arrests El-Rufai at EFCC office, detains him after grilling

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have taken former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai into custody immediately after he concluded two days of questioning with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Sources confirmed that el-Rufai was picked up from the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday night by the secret police.

During his time with the anti-graft agency, investigators reportedly pressed the former governor to provide a written statement regarding the allegations against him, but he repeatedly refused.

El-Rufai had voluntarily presented himself at the EFCC on Monday following an invitation related to allegations of financial impropriety during his tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023.

The former governor was indicted in 2024 by the Kaduna State House of Assembly over allegations of diverting N423 billion in public funds and money laundering. The assembly had called for a thorough investigation by anti-graft agencies.

In addition to the EFCC probe, el-Rufai has also been invited by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Tensions have been high surrounding the former governor for over a week. Last Thursday, security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from Cairo. Following that incident, el-Rufai alleged that the ICPC, acting on the instructions of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, had directed DSS officials to detain him.

Over the weekend, in an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, el-Rufai further claimed he had listened to a wiretapped phone conversation in which Ribadu directed security operatives to effect his arrest.

On Monday, the DSS responded by filing a three-count charge against el-Rufai for allegedly intercepting the NSA’s telephone conversation.

Sources stress that the current DSS action is entirely separate from the EFCC’s financial probe and stems from what officials describe as an “escalating security matter.”

“He has a case to answer regarding an escalating security matter,” a senior security official stated. “This is not related to the EFCC investigation. It is a separate matter entirely.”

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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