The family of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is holding him unlawfully without pressing charges in court.

In a statement on Friday, the family said El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody under circumstances that have no basis in law.

“We state categorically that there is currently no valid legal instrument authorising his detention,” the family said in a statement signed by El-Rufai’s son, the lawmaker for Kaduna North Federal Constituency and Chairman, Committee on Banking Regulation, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai.

The family noted that El-Rufai was first taken into custody on February 18, 2026, adding that following his detention, the ICPC obtained a remand order from a magistrate’s court on February 19. “However, this order was defective from the outset and, by law, provided only a 14-day window for his detention,” the family said.

“That 14-day period has now ended. The ICPC has not charged him with any offense in a competent court. Neither have they secured a fresh or extended lawful order to continue detaining him.”

The family said that, despite the expiration of any legal cover for his detention, the ICPC continues to hold the former governor.

“This is no longer a matter of lawful procedure; it is unlawful, brazen self-help. The ICPC has failed in its fundamental obligation to either charge him before a court of competent jurisdiction or release him.

“The path forward is clear and logical: release him immediately. Their refusal to do so confirms what we have long feared—that the ICPC is being wielded as a tool for political persecution rather than operating as an impartial institution of justice.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Nasir El-Rufai,” the family said.