Ex-governor walks free to bury mum after ICPC detention
By: Abudu Olalekan
Nasir El-Rufai stepped out of ICPC custody Friday night. His mother had died hours earlier in Cairo. The family is reeling.
Freed just before dark, Nasir El-Rufai stepped beyond walls that had held him for days. This wasn’t a glance through glass anymore. A brief release from ICPC hands came with one purpose – his mother’s burial. Evening air met his face as the ex-governor of Kaduna took those first steps into an open sky.
Death came in Cairo. Earlier on Friday, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai left this world close to one hundred years of age, after fighting sickness for some time. Bad luck struck again. A week before, her son’s wife, Safiya Ali Rufai, was laid to rest. Then another blow followed.
Bashir El-Rufai shared the update on X just after dusk began to settle. His first word was “Alhamdulillah,” typed without pause. Outrage followed swiftly, spreading through replies like heat across dry land. The arrest of his father? Nothing more than an unlawful act, he claimed – carried out by an agency rotten to its core. This body, once meant to uphold order, now limps under shame, barely qualifying as an institution anymore
Heavy phrases. Yet sorrow pulls strings like this.
His brother Bello had announced the death earlier on Facebook. “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” he posted. “From Allah SWT we came, and to Him we shall all return.” He asked for prayers.
The condolences came quick. President Bola Tinubu, who knows this pain too well – he lost his own mother years back – sent a statement through Bayo Onanuga. “Nasir, please accept my heartfelt condolences,” it read. “As someone who had also lost an old mother, I share in your grief. I understand the depth of your loss.”
That ache sat heavier than anything he’d known. Comfort slipped in through old moments replaying themselves. Her name was Aljannah Firdaus, carried quietly through each line.
Friday took her, the sacred Jumu’ah day, which brought at least a quiet comfort. Though young, she’d filled her years well, Atiku Abubakar remarked. Shock sat heavy in his words about the loss. My deepest sympathy goes out, he offered, voice steady but low.
That governor from Kaduna, Uba Sani, had met her before. He described her as full of calm dignity, clear values, yet never loud about it. One who reached out to those struggling without making a show. His words painted someone shaped by empathy, modesty, still showing up, day after day.
Funny how even someone like Nuhu Ribadu, now National Security Adviser, looked back on it. He mentioned those times with her – soft ones – and how she showed a kind of care only mothers give
This freedom won’t last. Here’s what matters: El-Rufai remains under suspicion. Ten charges – corruption, money laundering – he faces them all. Arrest came from ICPC. Court appearance happened on March 24. Next hearing? Pushed to March 31, 2026. Bail hasn’t been decided yet, not officially. What he has now feels like mercy, nothing more.
Waiting on the burial plans. Nothing set just yet – maybe Cairo, maybe Kaduna – the family must bury her soon. Right now, anyway, he has this moment. A chance to speak farewell the right way.
A break now and then can soften the rules. Maybe only two days, but still – it counts.
