ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has dismissed a security officer, Daniel Stephen, for allegedly helping Aichatou Assabe El-Rufai, one of the wives of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, gain unauthorised access to him while he was in custody, according to multiple reports on Thursday .
Stephen, who was attached to the commission’s internal security team, was reportedly caught on closed-circuit television assisting Mrs El-Rufai to enter the ICPC premises on July 5, 2026, outside the approved visitor access procedure . He subsequently admitted his involvement in a handwritten statement submitted to an investigation panel, acknowledging that he helped the former governor’s wife gain access to her husband “through the back door” .
According to the account he provided to investigators, Stephen drove Mrs El-Rufai into the commission’s premises, took her through a back entrance, and escorted her upstairs to the section where her husband was being held . An ICPC officer was quoted as saying that Stephen turned off the light before they entered the room where El-Rufai was detained . “Mrs El-Rufai handed her husband a document, picked up a black purse and spoke with him in Hausa about a court matter. The visit lasted about 15 minutes,” the officer said . Stephen then escorted her out through the same back entrance and drove her off the premises .
Stephen reportedly told the panel that he was aware the visit had not complied with the commission’s established security procedures, which require visitors to have their details recorded at the gate and obtain clearance from the head of the security unit before being allowed into the facility . He admitted that his actions amounted to a breach of the commission’s rules. “I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,” he wrote, adding that the statement was made voluntarily and without coercion .
ICPC insiders further claimed that Stephen’s involvement with Mrs El-Rufai extended beyond the July 5 incident . He allegedly recounted an earlier encounter in which he helped escort her further into the facility while officials were still confirming her identity. After assisting her, he was approached by a man who identified himself as El-Rufai’s blood brother, and he agreed to assist the man as well, bringing him into the facility through the back entrance .
The development comes amid ongoing legal battles between El-Rufai and the ICPC. The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 19, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission . He is being held on charges of money laundering and conversion of public property, allegations he has denied . In August, El-Rufai filed a N10 billion suit against the ICPC, alleging that the commission had repeatedly prevented members of his family from seeing him and that his wife and son were subjected to intimidation during a visit .
