The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday grilled the former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai over alleged N422 billion fraud perpetrated during his tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, chieftain, reportedly honoured an invitation by the commission, days after his legal team confirmed that he would present himself to investigators.
This was a sequel to a failed attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday.
A source at the commission confirmed that el-Rufai was being interrogated over corruption allegations levelled against him as governor of Kaduna State.
“He is with our investigators, but I cannot confirm how long he would be questioned. It is still early to know how long he will stay there,” the source said.
Ubong Akpan, counsel to el-Rufai, had said the EFCC invitation was received while he was overseas.
He said there was no basis for the attempted arrest, which infringed upon key constitutional provisions guaranteeing fundamental freedoms.
“There exists no justifiable basis for this attempted arrest or the accompanying mistreatment,” he said.
According to reports, there were two groups of protesters that stormed the EFCC headquarters on Monday in connection with grillibg and detention of the former governor.
However, there was a mild drama when some of the persons who accompanied el-Rufai were prevented from entering the commission’s office in Jabi, Abuja.
Muhammad Abdullahi, Spokesperson of the group protesting against el-Rufai, insisted that the corruption allegations against the former governor must not be trivialised or politicised.
“We reiterate thefirm position that the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, remains a lawful and constitutional matter strictly between him and the Government of Kaduna State.”
Responding, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, appealed for calm and assured the protesters that their petition would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities within the commission.
“The EFCC recognises the right of Nigerians to lawful protest in respect of any issue they feel so concerned about. Your protest and demands will be communicated to the executive chairman accordingly.
“I want to assure you that the EFCC, as we know it, will do its job professionally by attending to all the issues that you raised in your letter,” he said.
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