Title: Court Extends ICPC Detention of El-Rufai by 14 Days Over Money Laundering Probe Date Published: 11 March 2026 Description: A Chief Magistrate Court in Bwari, Abuja, has granted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) permission to detain former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El‑Rufai, for an additional 14 days to enable the commission conclude investigations into allegations of money laundering and abuse of office.The order was granted on Thursday by Chief Magistrate Okechukwu John Akweke, in the presence of the former governor’s legal representative.According to court records, the extension allows the anti-graft agency to continue its investigation into petitions against the former governor, with the remand order scheduled to lapse on March 19, 2026.In the application, prosecuting counsel, Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, urged the court to issue a remand warrant to keep the ex-governor in ICPC custody pending the conclusion of investigations.Granting the request, the magistrate ruled that the commission could re-detain El-Rufai for another 14 days while it finalises its investigative activities.The court also fixed March 19 for a report on compliance with the order.However, El-Rufai’s counsel, Ukpong Esop Akpan, has challenged the detention order, describing it as a jurisdictional overreach by the magistrate court.Although an earlier application by the defence to quash the initial remand order was dismissed, the legal team has returned to the same court seeking to nullify the latest detention order.The court has fixed March 17 to determine whether the renewed remand order should be set aside.In a motion supported by a 20-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Mohammed Salihu Shaba, the defence argued that the original remand order issued on February 19, 2026, was fundamentally defective and should be declared null and void.Meanwhile, a source within the ICPC insisted that the commission followed due legal process in obtaining the detention orders.According to the source, the agency secured valid court approvals before keeping the former governor in custody and maintained that El-Rufai’s legal team had been present during all court proceedings related to the case. Attached Images: 63beadd5d58fae70dda6308b0f1c3dc4b5622b4cb5bd3cc895ab3bfce951f677.jpg Attached Video: None