The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied reports that it arrested former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, insisting that he was never in its custody.
The clarification followed El-Rufai’s arrest and detention on Wednesday night by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), shortly after his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he had spent two nights in detention.
Earlier reports had suggested that DSS operatives picked him up from the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, where he had been held since Monday. However, security sources maintained that the former governor was not arrested or detained by the DSS, stating that he was instead taken to the ICPC headquarters to respond to pending questions.
Sources familiar with the investigations said El-Rufai may have to move between the EFCC, ICPC and DSS as separate probes continue into allegations of financial misappropriation and other related matters.
It was gathered that the EFCC is considering arraigning the former governor over alleged N432 billion fraud. The accusations reportedly include misappropriation of loans, breach of due process in contract awards, money laundering and plunging Kaduna State into heavy debt without corresponding projects to justify the borrowings.
In addition to the financial allegations, the DSS is said to be reviewing the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, a prominent government critic who was abducted in Kaduna and has not been seen since.
A senior security source disclosed that the seizure of El-Rufai’s passport last week at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, was to prevent him from travelling out of the country while investigations were ongoing.
According to the source, investigators believe the former governor was aware of the renewed interest in Dadiyata’s case and had planned to leave Nigeria after honouring invitations from the EFCC and ICPC.
The source further claimed that the decision to revisit the Dadiyata case followed months of internal reviews and fresh leads. At the time of his disappearance on August 1, 2019, Dadiyata was a lecturer in the Department of English and Linguistics at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State. He was declared missing after gunmen reportedly abducted him from his Kaduna residence.
While no formal charges have been announced in connection with the disappearance, the development signals intensifying scrutiny of the former governor as multiple agencies pursue parallel investigations.
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