The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted administrative bail to former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai following his overnight detention at the commission’s Jabi headquarters on Monday, February 16, 2026. However, El-Rufai has not yet fulfilled the bail conditions, and he remains in EFCC custody as of early Tuesday morning, February 17, 2026.
Multiple credible sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed that the bail was approved late Monday night after hours of interrogation over the alleged N432 billion corruption probe linked to his administration (2015–2023). The conditions reportedly include: ₦500 million bond with two sureties in like sum, Deposit of international passport (already seized by DSS last week), Regular reporting to the EFCC office and No travel outside Nigeria without clearance. Despite the bail grant, El-Rufai’s legal team is yet to perfect the conditions, keeping him in detention.
DSS Presence Raises Re-Arrest Concerns Reports from the scene indicate that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have taken up strategic positions around the EFCC headquarters premises since Monday night. Witnesses described a heavy security cordon, with DSS vehicles and personnel stationed at key entry/exit points.
Sources close to El-Rufai expressed fears that the DSS deployment is intended to effect a re-arrest the moment he is released by the EFCC, citing the ongoing probe into the 2019 disappearance of Katsina lecturer Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata).
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El-Rufai’s lawyers have described the situation as “a coordinated inter-agency harassment” and “an attempt to keep him in perpetual custody without trial.”
El-Rufai arrived at EFCC headquarters around 10:00 a.m. Monday in response to an invitation. He was grilled for over 12 hours on allegations of loan misappropriation, contract violations and debt accumulation in Kaduna State. Last week, DSS operatives seized his passport at the airport and attempted an arrest, which his team condemned as unlawful. The former governor has accused the Tinubu administration of politically motivated persecution.
Neither EFCC nor DSS has issued an official statement on the bail, detention status or security deployment as of press time. El-Rufai’s supporters remain outside the complex, while his legal team is working to meet the bail terms.
This is a developing story with high political stakes.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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