The family of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) regarding the seizure of phone-tapping equipment, describing the claims as false and politically motivated.
In a statement issued on March 2, 2026, and signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family accused the anti-corruption agency of conducting a smear campaign and misrepresenting the outcome of a search carried out at the former governor’s property.
The family defended El-Rufai’s decision not to respond to investigators, stating that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to remain silent.
They rejected claims that his silence amounted to non-cooperation, insisting that no negative inference should be drawn from the exercise of a constitutional right.
According to the statement, El-Rufai had repeatedly challenged authorities to file charges if evidence existed against him.
The family also denied the ICPC’s claim that sophisticated phone-tapping equipment and sensitive security documents were recovered during the search.
They maintained that only old personal mobile phones, flash drives, and laptops — common personal devices — were seized, describing the alleged equipment as fictitious.
The statement further alleged that the search was based on a forged warrant, claiming it was fraudulently issued by a magistrate purportedly acting with High Court authority.
The family said their legal team has challenged the warrant in court, arguing that any evidence obtained through an unlawful search is inadmissible.
The El-Rufai family said it would pursue all available legal remedies to challenge what it described as defamatory statements and executive overreach, expressing confidence in the Nigerian judiciary to uphold their rights.
They also called for peace and prayers during the Ramadan period, urging Nigerians to promote unity and stability across the country.
The the full statements below:
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the most Mericful, I had tried to stay off social media to focus on Ramadan, my family and my work on behalf of the excellent people of Kaduna North. But I have chosen to break my silence to put an end to a blatant lie. Attached is the statement in response to the allegation by a Toilet Newspaper called the Nation on a story from their ICPC sources and sauces. The statement is posted below. Ramadan Mubarak to everyone. Please pray for peace, starting with Nigeria and then the world.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RE: ICPC’s PHANTOM PHONE TAPPING EQUIPMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO SILENCE: A STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF MALLAM NASIR EL-RUFAI
The family of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has noted with a mixture of contempt and amusement the recent litany of allegations, falsehoods, and theatrical posturing emanating from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
It is deeply unfortunate that a constitutionally established agency has descended into what can only be described as a circus of chicanery, apparently designed to prosecute a media war rather than adhere to the rule of law. We are compelled to set the record straight and expose the malicious intent behind this orchestrated smear campaign.
On the Right to Silence and Non-Cooperation:
The ICPC has ludicrously attempted to weaponize the silence of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai against him, claiming he “refused to cooperate.” We must educate the Commission on the most basic tenet of Nigerian jurisprudence: The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees every citizen the right to remain silent. This is not an act of non-cooperation; it is a fundamental human right. No law enforcement agency, regardless of its frustration at a failed operation, is entitled to draw any negative inference from a citizen’s decision to exercise this constitutional hermetic seal. That the ICPC believes silence implies guilt is a confession of their own inquisitorial mindset and their disregard for the very laws they are sworn to uphold.
Our father, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has said in all interactions with law enforcement: “CHARGE ME, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ME. YOU HAVE HAD MORE THAN 2 YEARS TO INVESTIGATE ME. TAKE ME TO COURT PLEASE.”
This challenge cannot be met. It is the reason for these lies and obfuscation by ICPC.
The Fictitious Phone Tapping Equipment and List of Seized Items
The ICPC’s press statement presented a list of seized equipment designed to conjure images of espionage and criminality. This list is a work of fiction, for reasons which will soon become known.
a) Endorsement: This list has not been endorsed by Mallam el-Rufai or his legal representatives.
b) Reality: WE WERE PRESENT WHEN THESE ITEMS WERE SEIZED. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones some dating back as much as 20 years, storage devices like flash drives and laptops, which are standard possessions of any 21st-century citizen, were seized from the property. The alleged “sophisticated tapping equipment” and “sensitive security documents” exist only in the fevered imagination of the ICPC and its press team.
The Tainted Foundation: A Forged Warrant:
The entire foundation of this investigation is rotten. The search that purportedly uncovered these phantom items originated from a legally defective warrant. We have credible evidence that the warrant was a forgery, fraudulently procured and presented by a Magistrate who was, bizarrely, purporting to sit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. An illegality of this magnitude—a forgery at the very inception of a state-sponsored search—renders everything that follows it inadmissible and void. Our lawyers have challenged this illegitimate warrant in a court of competent jurisdiction. The ICPC is welcome to explain in court how a Magistrate conjured the jurisdiction of a High Court to sign a warrant based on false premises.
The ICPC’s Credibility Deficit:
The ICPC’s statement is a textbook example of projection, the guilty person ascribing his crimes to his victim. It is a document riddled with the very offenses it is meant to combat. We see before us a litany of forgery, uttering of false documents, and the peddling of falsehood that is nothing short of criminal. This level of unprofessional conduct, abuse of office, and sheer chicanery is the hallmark of an organization that has been completely captured and weaponized. It is an organization so bereft of any redeeming feature of credibility that it must now manufacture evidence to justify its existence.
We will not be tried in the court of public opinion by a discredited agency acting on behalf of political masters. We have instructed our legal team to pursue all available legal remedies to challenge the illegal search, the forged warrant, and the defamatory statements made by the ICPC. We have absolute faith that the Nigerian judiciary will see through this shameful charade and uphold the rights of our family against this executive overreach.
It would not surprise us if the ICPC were to produce something of that nature in furtherance of its descent into infamy. After all a court of law has already lampooned ICPC in another matter, of procuring fake search warrants.
Signed, This 2nd March 2026
The El-Rufai Family
Signed
Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai
Member. A PROUD SON OF MALLAM NASIR EL-RUFAI
Kaduna North Federal Constituency
Chairman, Committee on Banking Regulations.
March 2nd, 2026.
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