Honourable Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives and son of former Kaduna State governor and FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai, has issued a stern warning to the federal government concerning his father's continued detention. The younger El-Rufai emphasized his family's defiance in the face of the former governor's legal battles, which have kept him in custody for two months.
Bello El-Rufai speaks after father's rearrest
Speaking to journalists after Nasir El-Rufai was rearrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) moments after being granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja, Bello stated that the family is not afraid of the prosecution. 'I am not fearful of anything. Mallam has his health condition set; he's in good health,' he said, reflecting the family's stance on the situation.
The former governor has been locked in a legal battle with both the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the DSS. On May 18, 2026, El-Rufai was granted bail of 100 million naira by a Federal High Court in Abuja, where the ICPC is prosecuting him on multiple corruption charges during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State. However, after perfecting the bail conditions, he was rearrested in the court premises by the DSS over allegations of tapping the mobile devices of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
A strong warning issued
Addressing the press, Bello El-Rufai sent a strong message to law enforcement agencies regarding his father's well-being. 'We the El-Rufais are not afraid of anything or anybody, but if anything should happen to my father, they should be the ones to be afraid,' he warned. He added, 'This is a dare. Whoever thinks something will happen to Mallam wrongly, we dare them. Let justice prevail. There are no fears. We saw him enter the DSS office. If something happens to him, they should fear.'
Background of the case
Nasir El-Rufai was arrested in March 2026 upon his return from Egypt. Since then, he has been the subject of high-profile prosecutions by two law enforcement agencies. The former governor, once a strong ally of President Tinubu before becoming a staunch critic, has pleaded not guilty to both the ICPC's corruption charges and the DSS's charges of tapping the NSA's phone.
Opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, have called for El-Rufai's release. After his arrest, El-Rufai claimed he was pressured by law enforcement agencies to stay out of politics as a condition for release. During his detention, the politician, who left the ruling All Progressives Congress for the African Democratic Congress in 2025, lost his mother. His wife recently accused the ICPC of preventing him from accessing his doctors.
