WorldStage– Following the release of former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on Friday, March 27, 2026 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on humanitarian ground, several lawyers and legal experts have condemned the Commission’s decision.
El-Rufai had been held in custody for weeks and arraigned on 10 counts of alleged corruption, including money laundering and receiving inflated severance payments totaling approximately ₦579.7 million.
On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Justice Ridwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna ordered El-Rufai to be remanded in ICPC custody until a bail application hearing scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
The ICPC reportedly released El-Rufai on “compassionate grounds” to allow him to participate in the burial rites of his mother, Umma El-Rufai, who passed away on Friday.
Some lawyers have frowned at his release, arguing that ICPC’s action directly disregarded a subsisting Federal High Court order remanding him in the agency’s custody pending his bail hearing.
Legsl experts including Femi Falana (SAN) and Inibehe Effiong asserted that once a court takes jurisdiction and issues a remand order, an investigative agency lacks the authority to “overrule” that order.
Critics argue the ICPC should have filed a formal application for a variation of the remand order on urgent grounds rather than unilaterally releasing him.
Commentators have questioned why “ordinary people” in custody who lose parents are rarely granted similar compassionate releases, highlighting concerns over selective justice.
Some lawyers also pointed out that “administrative bail” cannot be granted by an agency after a defendant has been formally arraigned and remanded by a judge.
The ICPC has not yet issued a formal public statement regarding the procedural basis for the release, though sources within the agency confirmed it was a temporary measure for the funeral.
