Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been granted a temporary compassionate release from the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, in Cairo on Friday.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has granted a temporary compassionate release to the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, following the passing of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai. The matriarch reportedly died on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, where she had been receiving medical treatment for age-related ailments. An aide to the former governor confirmed that the anti-graft agency approved the bail to allow El-Rufai to participate in the funeral rites and stand with his family during the period of bereavement.
Reacting to the development, the former governor’s son, Bashir El-Rufai, confirmed his father’s exit from custody via a strongly worded post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. While acknowledging the release, Bashir characterized his father’s previous 38-day stay in a cell as an “unlawful and illegal detention” orchestrated by what he described as a “pathetic institution.” He wrote: “My beloved great legend of a father (@elrufai) is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that is a lame excuse of a pathetic institution. Thank you all for all the support. Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufais.”
Prior to this temporary release, El-Rufai had been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, facing a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, fraud, and the alleged conversion of public property during his tenure as governor. Earlier this week, a Federal High Court in Kaduna had remanded him in the commission’s facility pending a formal bail hearing originally scheduled for March 31. While President Bola Tinubu has issued a formal condolence message describing the late Hajiya Umma as a “remarkable woman,” the ICPC has not yet clarified whether the former governor is expected to return to custody immediately following the conclusion of the burial ceremonies.
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