LIndependent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it denied leaders of African Democratic Congress (ADC) access to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai because of an existing court order limiting the category of visitors allowed to see him in custody.
Gatekeepers News reports that the clarification followed claims by ADC that its leaders were intimidated by security operatives after they were prevented from meeting El-Rufai at the anti-graft agency’s detention facility in Abuja on Friday.
El-Rufai has remained in ICPC custody since February 19 over allegations of financial misconduct linked to his administration as Kaduna governor between 2015 and 2023.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly accused the former governor of allegedly diverting N423 billion in public funds and involvement in money laundering, urging anti-corruption agencies to investigate him.
The former Governor was later arraigned by the ICPC before a Kaduna High Court on April 13, 2026, on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.
Although he was granted temporary leave on March 28 to attend his mother’s burial, el-Rufai later returned to the commission’s custody pending trial.
Earlier this month, Mohammed Bello, son of the former Governor, accused ICPC of denying his father access to medical care and family members despite what he described as a court order allowing unrestricted access to doctors.
However, the anti-graft agency dismissed the allegation as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Friday, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said a party delegation led by Rauf Aregbesola, the party’s national secretary, and Salihu Lukman, secretary of the ADC policy and manifesto committee, was stopped from seeing el-Rufai.
“Despite prior communication and formal requests, we were denied access without any reasonable explanation,” Abdullahi said.
He also claimed the atmosphere around the facility became tense after several trucks carrying armed policemen arrived while the delegation awaited a response.
Reacting to the allegation, ICPC spokesperson Okor Odey saif the commission rejected the ADC’s request in a letter dated May 21, 2026, which was acknowledged by the party the next day.
According to him, the court order only permits access to El-Rufai by his family members, legal team and doctors.
The letter, signed by S. Yahaya, director of operations at the ICPC, stated that el-Rufai is currently standing trial before both the Kaduna State High Court and the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna.
“The court has granted access to the defendant to his family, doctors and counsel. These are the only category of persons granted access to see the defendant in the commission’s custody. Consequently, the application cannot be granted,” the letter read.
Odey also dismissed claims that the ADC delegation was intimidated, insisting that the presence of police officers at the facility was part of routine security arrangements.
