The family of former Nasir El-Rufai has described his continued detention as unlawful and demanded his immediate release.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Friday by his son, Mohammed El-Rufai, the family said the detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had no legal backing because the 14-day remand order had expired.

According to the statement, the order obtained from a magistrate’s court on February 19 lapsed without the commission filing charges against the former governor in a court of competent jurisdiction.

“As of March 6, 2026, Nasir El-Rufai remains in ICPC custody under circumstances that have no basis in law. There is currently no valid legal instrument authorising his detention,” the family said.

El-Rufai has spent 18 days in federal custody since voluntarily reporting to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, before being transferred to the ICPC two days later.

The ICPC is investigating allegations involving the whereabouts of €1.4 million, suspicious payments exceeding ₦2.1bn, and transfers of more than ₦428m to undisclosed accounts.

However, the family insisted that the commission failed to charge him before the expiration of the remand order and had not secured a fresh court order to justify the continued detention.

They described the development as “unlawful and brazen self-help” and alleged that the anti-graft agency was being used for political persecution.

El-Rufai’s legal team has also served the commission a ₦15.6bn damages claim, accusing it of contempt of court, malicious prosecution, defamation, abuse of office, forgery, and unlawful detention.

The ICPC, however, maintains that its investigation is lawful and part of its statutory mandate. It said documents recovered from El-Rufai’s residence in Abuja include investor account statements, asset declaration forms, land documents, electronic devices, and records of domestic and foreign loans approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023.

Meanwhile, a separate case involving the Department of State Services at the Federal High Court was adjourned to April 23, 2026, after the agency failed to produce him in court.