This comes as the Federal Government filed a three-count charge against him, alleging unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

Investigation and Charges

An EFCC source confirmed that the former governor is currently with investigators but declined to state how long the questioning session would last.

“He is with our investigators, but we cannot confirm how long he would be questioned. It is still early to know how long he will stay there,” the source said.

El-Rufai, who served as governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023 and previously as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is also under investigation over loans obtained during his administration.

An ad-hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly had alleged that some of the loans were mismanaged or used without due process. However, El-Rufai has denied the allegations, insisting they are politically motivated.

The charge, filed at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court by a team of prosecutors from the Department of State Services (DSS), alleges that El-Rufai admitted during a February 13 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme that he aligned with others who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications.

According to the charge, the alleged actions contravene:

Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024

Section 27(b) of the same Act (for allegedly failing to report the crime)

Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003

No arraignment date has yet been fixed.

Political Reactions

Reacting to the development, opposition figure and former presidential spokesman, Umar Sani, described El-Rufai’s political engagement as strategic and confrontational.

He stated that the former governor’s actions were designed to challenge those in power and provoke political debate, describing him as “the face of the opposition.”

Protest and Teargas Incident

Meanwhile, tension erupted at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja as pro- and anti-El-Rufai supporters gathered at the agency’s office in the Jabi district.

Operatives reportedly fired teargas to disperse the crowd after clashes broke out. The fumes allegedly drifted toward the nearby Federal Medical Centre Jabi, causing distress among patients, including pregnant women and children.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic within the hospital premises, with patients and caregivers struggling to breathe.

A pregnant woman receiving antenatal care recounted:

“Even inside the hospital, everyone was struggling to breathe. My eyes were filled with tears, I was coughing, and it wasn’t just me. We were running into each other in panic. It was not a good experience at all.”

She expressed concern over the proximity of the anti-graft agency’s headquarters to a major health facility, noting that the discharge of teargas so close to vulnerable patients posed significant health risks.

Background

El-Rufai had earlier claimed that operatives of the DSS attempted to “abduct” him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 upon his return from Cairo. He alleged that security actions against him were influenced by directives from the NSA.