Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has reportedly faced health and welfare challenges while in custody, according to his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye. El-Rufai has been detained for eight days after voluntarily responding to an EFCC invitation on February 16, 2026, and was later interrogated and granted administrative bail. Despite this, he remained in custody while his lawyers sought modifications to the bail terms.
Adekeye highlighted several incidents raising concern about El-Rufai’s treatment. On February 17, one of his wives was allegedly barred from handing him a meal directly, being instructed to deliver it through an EFCC official. That same night, El-Rufai reportedly suffered a nosebleed, prompting his legal team to question the adequacy of his care, access to family, and contact with counsel.
Further complications arose when El-Rufai was transferred from EFCC custody to the ICPC on the night of February 18 without prior notice to him or his lawyers. His legal team has since applied for bail, but no decision has been communicated, and no formal remand order has been presented to justify his continued detention beyond constitutional limits.
El-Rufai is expected to appear in court on February 25 in a fundamental rights suit against the Federal Government, EFCC, ICPC, and DSS, seeking an order granting him bail. Adekeye stressed that the sequence of events has raised serious concerns over due process and the former governor’s well-being as the legal proceedings continue.
