…Atiku, Tambuwal Join Family, Allies in Birthday Tributes While Anti-Graft and Rights Abuse Probes Heat Up
By Jeremy Fregene
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, marked his 66th birthday on Monday in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as political allies hailed his legacy and critics renewed scrutiny of unresolved cases from his years in office.
El-Rufai, now a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was questioned by EFCC investigators over alleged corruption and fraud linked to his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. The interrogation followed a failed attempt last week by operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Sources within the commission said the former governor arrived at EFCC headquarters accompanied by supporters and was being grilled over multiple allegations, with the possibility of arraignment not ruled out. His counsel, Ubong Akpan, maintained that the EFCC invitation was received while El-Rufai was overseas and described the attempted airport arrest as lacking legal basis.
As the probe coincided with his birthday, tributes poured in from family members and political associates.
His son, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, described him as “an impeccable administrator, a courageous leader, a bold reformer and a fantastic father,” celebrating him as “the father of Modern Kaduna” and “the original restorer of the Abuja Master Plan.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described El-Rufai as “a man of intellect, courage, and uncommon sagacity.”
“Even amid the present political persecution and needless distractions, his record of service and clarity of thought and purpose remain undeniable. I wish him strength, peace, and Allah’s guidance in the years ahead,” Atiku stated.
Former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal praised his “courage, conviction and unwavering commitment to public service,” while ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi prayed for good health and wisdom.
However, beyond the EFCC investigation and celebratory messages, renewed attention has focused on unresolved controversies from El-Rufai’s tenure — particularly the 2019 disappearance of social media commentator Abubakar “Dadiyata” Idris.
US-based academic Farooq Kperogi recently revisited the case after El-Rufai alleged in a televised interview that former Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, may have been complicit in Dadiyata’s disappearance, an allegation Ganduje has denied.
Kperogi argued that public records show Dadiyata was openly critical not only of Ganduje but also of El-Rufai and other APC figures, including former President Muhammadu Buhari. He also referenced past detentions of critics during El-Rufai’s administration, citing the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Human Rights Report, which stated that nine Southern Kaduna elders were detained “by order of Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai,”a claim that has remained disputed.
Adding to the controversy is a detailed account by Stephen Kefas, who describes himself as an “accidental journalist and human rights activist.” Kefas alleged that in 2019, plain-clothes policemen sent from Kaduna tracked and arrested him in Port Harcourt without a warrant.
According to his account, the officers immediately confiscated his phones to prevent him from making calls and instructed officers at the Mini Okoro Police Station not to allow anyone see or speak to him. He said he was held incommunicado until about 8 p.m., when a female police officer allegedly allowed him to use her phone to contact his brother.
“That phone call saved my life and prevented the Dadiyata model from happening to me,” Kefas claimed.
He further alleged that when officers arrived around 5 a.m. on May 9, 2019, to transport him to Kaduna, they discovered that news of his arrest had already spread across the media.
“They had no choice than to take me to Kaduna alive,” he said, adding that his subsequent prison experience was “a story for another day.”
Former senator Shehu Sani has also publicly listed names of journalists and critics he said were arrested or imprisoned for social media posts critical of the Kaduna State Government between 2015 and 2023. Writing on X, Sani an old foe of El-Rufai’s stated:
“These are Some of those arrested and sent to Jail for criticizing the Governor of Kaduna State and Kaduna State Government On their Social Media handles from 2015-2023.Their names are Dr John Danfulani,Mal Nasiru Jagaba,Steven Kefas and Segun Onibiyo who served months in Kaduna Prison.Tell me the meaning of a tyrant.I’ll post more.
“Kaduna based Journalists arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the then Kaduna State Governor. Their names: Midat Joseph with the Leadership Newspaper; Luka Biniyat (with crutches in Kaduna Prison)of Vanguard, and Joseph Dickson with the Authentic Newspaper.”
El-Rufai has consistently denied involvement in unlawful persecution of critics or in Dadiyata’s disappearance. Nonetheless, observers note that his recent remarks referencing an unnamed police officer as a possible source of information have introduced what some consider a new lead that authorities may need to investigate.
As El-Rufai celebrates 66 under the shadow of an anti-corruption probe, the convergence of legal scrutiny, political solidarity and unresolved human rights allegations ensures that his legacy remains one of the most fiercely debated in Nigeria’s contemporary political history.