Former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has been granted temporary bail by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, following the death of his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, on Friday.
The temporary freedom is to enable the former governor perform the funeral rites of his late mother who died in Cairo, Egypt, after a period of sickness.
El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, confirmed his father’s release in a post on his X handle Friday night.
“Alhamdulillah. My beloved great legend of a father (@elrufai) is being released from his unlawful and illegal detention at the hands of one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is a lame excuse of a pathetic institution.
Thank you all for all the support. Our family shall never forget these times. We have overcome, as the El-Rufai’s always do,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, notable Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, have paid tributes to the late Hajiya El-Rufai.
Hajiya El-Rufai was reportedly about 100 years old.
Her passing comes just a week after the death of her daughter-in-law, Safiya Ali Rufai, compounding the family’s grief.
Hajiya El-Rufai’s death was announced on Friday by her grandson, Bello El-Rufai, in a Facebook post in which he expressed gratitude for her life and called for prayers for her soul.
“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. From Allah SWT we came, and to Him we shall all return. I would like to inform the public of the demise of my grandmother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away a few hours ago,” the post read.
Tinubu, in a statement signed on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the late matriarch of the El-Rufai family as a woman who lived a remarkable life, raised children and grandchildren who have contributed greatly to the country.
