Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai was rearrested on Wednesday night, February 18, by the State Security Service (SSS) moments after securing bail from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), witnesses said.
El-Rufai, who had been in EFCC custody since Monday over corruption-related allegations, was granted bail at about 8pm. However, operatives of the SSS reportedly took him into custody immediately outside the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
Security sources said the SSS action is connected to allegations that El-Rufai unlawfully intercepted telephone communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Premium Times reported.
Earlier on Monday, the SSS filed cybercrime charges against the former governor at the Federal High Court, accusing him of offences related to illegal interception of communications.
The charges followed El-Rufai’s comments during a live interview on Arise TV, in which he claimed that the NSA’s phone was tapped and that he heard instructions directing security operatives to detain him.
According to court documents, prosecutors allege that El-Rufai admitted intercepting the NSA’s communications, failed to report others involved in unlawful interceptions, and endangered public safety and national security, Vanguard reported.
The alleged offences are said to contravene provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. No arraignment date has yet been fixed, and El-Rufai has not publicly responded to the charges.
The developments follow a series of incidents that began last Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after El-Rufai returned from Cairo, Egypt.
Security operatives attempted to arrest him at the airport, leading to a brief confrontation and the temporary confiscation of his international passport.
El-Rufai later alleged that the attempted arrest was carried out on the instruction of the NSA through the SSS, a claim he reiterated during his Arise TV interview
Reacting to the unfolding situation, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, criticised the attempted arrest and subsequent detention, describing them as arbitrary and a violation of his client’s constitutional rights. He said the EFCC invitation had been delivered while
El-Rufai was abroad, making immediate compliance impossible, and added that his client had formally communicated his intention to honour the invitation upon his return.
Akpan also demanded the immediate return of El-Rufai’s passport, warning that legal action would be taken against any unlawful detention.
As of Wednesday night, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the latest rearrest, while the legal and political implications continue to unfold.
