El Rufai Held by ICPC Following EFCC Transfer?
By: Abudu Olalekan
That name still rings a bell. Nasir El-Rufai, once ran Kaduna State. Felt like nothing ever stuck to him. Slipped around authority as if it were his backyard. Now here we go – he’s been taken in by officials again. Out of nowhere, really. Right after everyone assumed the EFCC chapter had closed behind him.
Monday comes into view. Roads in Abuja glisten with fresh rain, most likely. He gets taken by the EFCC. They keep him for forty-eight hours straight. What for? Following routine, according to them. Sitting through interviews. All tied to that complaint from Kaduna’s lawmakers – the kind people avoid saying out loud yet pass quietly among themselves. That railway plan. Right, that exact one. A billion gone like smoke. People looking over shoulders now. Rumors say the EFCC started poking around, pressing with sharp questions.
Wednesday arrives. Suddenly everything shifts. Enter ICPC – quiet, fast, like smoke through cracks. That evening, John Okor Odey speaks. He represents them, yes? A statement appears after hours. Feels rushed. You sense tired fingers on keys. Stale air in the room. Words say: “Malam Nasiru El-Rufai… is in our custody as at close of work today.” Tone flat. Formal but thin. Leaves gaps. “In connection with investigations.” Of course. But whose line do they follow now? EFCC fades into shadow. This probe wears a new face. Power moves twist beneath the surface. Truth bends where authority walks.
Truth is, it feels odd. Timing raises questions – ICPC stepping in right behind EFCC. Could be coincidence. Then again, perhaps EFCC saw the mess and stepped back. Maybe someone whispered in their ear. Perhaps ICPC saw an opening and took it. That Kaduna light rail? A long string of broken promises. Years passed. Deadlines vanished. Money drained away faster each month. Some say there were bribes, backroom deals. Jobs disappeared overnight. Riders stood in the rain, watching schedules fall apart. The man who approved every piece? Now behind bars, just not his own agency’s. Justice takes its time – then shows up late, wearing someone else’s uniform.
Chidi works for the government in Abuja – he’s one of the people who should’ve ridden that train line, even though it never showed up. “Do you find this amusing?” he said, head slowly moving side to side. Years gone by. Taxes handed over on time. Then the man in charge gets arrested? It hits like a delayed message. Still… could mean something shifts now. His words dragged, heavy with weariness, not belief.
Funny thing is, ICPC keeps everything under wraps. Not a word from Odey on reasons – only that he’s in custody for questioning. Loads of clarity there. What could be hidden behind closed doors. Maybe messages on a server. Perhaps documents from financial accounts. A low-ranking employee talking freely under pressure. Quiet moments speak more than official statements ever do. Always the same pattern unfolds. One office protects its role while shifting work elsewhere. First the EFCC grabs attention with bold claims. Then ICPC arrives much later – searching for untainted proof. Or simply chasing recognition.
Sure, El-Rufai isn’t someone people will rush to defend. He held authority, clashed with rivals, likely crushed a few ambitions along the way. Yet how things are playing out now – somehow doesn’t sit right. Not because he deserves protection, but because it looks less like fairness taking hold and more like officials moving pieces behind closed doors. The whole scene carries the quiet weight of calculation, not consequence. While one office grabs credit, someone else marks their territory. Right now, people in Kaduna feel worn down. Worn down by broken words, theft in plain sight, the spectacle of elites moving smoothly as roads fall apart. That rail line meant more than steel and engines – it carried expectation. Which had already collapsed well before El-Rufai faced questioning.
Yep. Held again – El-Rufai, this time by the ICPC. One former governor. Two agencies poking around. Not a single straight answer so far. That complaint from Kaduna’s lawmakers? It’s still sitting there, waiting. Then there’s the unfinished train line – the one that shows up like a shadow in every official statement. Where things go from here? Nobody is saying. Perhaps ICPC is piecing things together. Or maybe it collapses before dawn. That kind of thing plays out often enough. Right now, though, he’s locked up – not in an EFCC cell, but inside an ICPC facility. Separate walls, familiar pattern. Influence, cash, and the tangled fight over who watches the watchers. From Monday through Wednesday? A whirlwind. This isn’t finished yet. Far from it. Leaves you thinking – whose turn comes after him. Maybe nothing shifts at all. The coffee sits there, getting colder while I sit here wondering.
