ICPC Recovers Alleged Wiretapping Equipment from El-Rufai’s Abuja Residence, Details Corruption Claims in Court Filing
Recovered surveillance devices allegedly capable of intercepting private communications and accessing classified security materials were traced to the Abuja home of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, according to court documents filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Details obtained by PulseNets from the commission’s filings indicate that the items were recovered during a search carried out at the former governor’s residence. The operation, as outlined in the legal documents, was conducted in the presence of his wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed Bello.
The anti-graft agency further reported that El-Rufai declined to engage investigators during the exercise, opting to remain silent pending formal arraignment before a competent court. PulseNets learnt that the commission also informed the court that one of the ex-governor’s aides connected to the probe has allegedly left the country.
The disclosures were contained in processes submitted before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, where the former governor is seeking judicial relief over what he described as unlawful detention and a breach of his fundamental human rights.
In the filings reviewed by PulseNets, the commission stated that it secured a 14-day remand order from a Magistrate Court sitting in Bwari, within the FCT, to detain the former governor pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations. The order, the agency clarified, is scheduled to lapse on Thursday.
Reacting to claims of arbitrary detention and political persecution, the ICPC urged the High Court to dismiss the application brought by El-Rufai. The commission maintained in its court papers that the actions taken were within the ambit of the law.
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The agency also told the court that the former governor has questions to answer in relation to multiple corruption allegations. Among the issues raised are the alleged disappearance of €1.4 million; 180 transactions described as suspicious, amounting to N2,158,799,199, reportedly traced to a Consolidated Revenue Account linked to Kaduna State’s internally generated revenue account; and transfers totalling N428,122,180.18 to accounts that were not disclosed in the filings, among other claims.
The matter is expected to continue before the FCT High Court as both parties press their respective legal arguments.
