National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, on Saturday paid a condolence visit to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at his Abuja residence following the death of his mother.
El-Rufai’s mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, reportedly died on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, after a period of illness.
The visit comes amid unfolding developments surrounding the former governor, who was recently released from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sources indicated that El-Rufai was granted temporary bail on compassionate grounds to enable him participate in the burial rites of his late mother. He had been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations of financial misappropriation during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.
Upon his release from custody, El-Rufai was received in Abuja by family members, political associates, and supporters, who have continued to troop to his residence to commiserate with him.
Confirmation of his release earlier surfaced via a social media post by his son, Bashir El-Rufai, who described his father’s detention as unlawful and expressed appreciation to those who stood by the family during the period.
El-Rufai was arraigned last Tuesday by the ICPC before Justice Rilwanu Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conversion of public property and money laundering. The former Governor, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The presiding Judge, after listening to arguments from both the defence and prosecution, subsequently adjourned hearing in the bail application filed by El-Rufai until March 31.
The ICPC charged El-Rufai with unlawful financial benefits and suspicious inflows into his bank accounts during his tenure as governor.
In Counts 1 and 2, the ICPC alleged that the former governor received ₦289.8 million as severance allowance in September 2020 and January 2023, far above the legally approved ₦20 million, which represents 300 per cent of his annual basic salary.
The prosecution alleged that he knew or reasonably ought to have known that the excess sum constituted proceeds of corruption, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Counts 3 to 9 detailed multiple foreign currency deposits into Mr El-Rufai’s Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account between 2016 and 2023.
These included 320,800 dollars allegedly paid in tranches by one Joel Adoga, as well as separate deposits ranging from 4,000 to 305,300 dollars from different individuals, some of whom are said to be at large.
The ICPC alleged that the funds were proceeds of corruption and fraud, which the defendant knowingly received while serving as a public officer.
In count 10, the prosecution accused El-Rufai and Adoga of conspiring in July 2019 to disguise the origin of 10,000 dollars deposited into the former governor’s account, an act said to contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
El-Rufai had been in custody since Feb. 19, after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and subsequently taken into custody by the ICPC.
