A magistrate court in Abuja has scheduled a ruling for Tuesday, March 17, regarding a fresh request from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for an additional 14 days to detain former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The presiding magistrate, Okechukwu Akweke, set the date during a hearing last week, which aims to assess whether to approve or reject the application submitted by the ICPC.
Since February 18, 2026, El-Rufai has been in the custody of the ICPC, facing accusations related to money laundering and the unauthorized interception of communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The ICPC acquired a 14-day remand order from a Magistrate Court in Bwari on February 19, 2026, which lapsed on March 5, 2026. Following this expiry, El- Rufai's legal representatives, along with his family and supporters, have criticized his ongoing detention, deeming it unlawful.
They argue that since the legal grounding for his detention has come to an end and no new warrant has been procured, he should either be released or formally charged in a competent court of law.
El-Rufai has also initiated a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the FCT High Court, contesting what he claims is his extended and illegal detention.
The suit includes the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the ICPC, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as defendants.
In response, the ICPC has denied infringing upon El-Rufai's fundamental rights, asserting that they had a legitimate remand order in place that remains renewable as their investigative processes continue.
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