Hadiza el-Rufai, wife of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, has poked fun at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over claims that wiretapping equipment was recovered from their Abuja residence.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Hadiza reacted to media reports quoting the ICPC as saying electronic magnetic devices capable of tapping conversations were retrieved during a search of the property.
“You forgot to mention that you also took away my bank tokens,” she wrote.
“I swear to God, they are not wiretapping equipment.”
The ICPC had told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in an affidavit that it recovered equipment allegedly capable of tapping conversations, and sensitive security documents, during a February 19 search of the ex-minister’s home.
The commission is investigating el-Rufai over alleged financial improprieties during his stint as governor of Kaduna between 2015 and 2023.
In the affidavit, the anti-graft agency said: “During the Search operations, the Commission retrieved electronic magnetic equipment capable of tapping conversations, and he was asked to give consent to enable the Commission access to the equipment, but he refused.”
However, el-Rufai’s family has rejected the allegation.
‘Discarded Mobile Phones’
In a statement issued on Monday, the family described the claim as “falsehood”.
“We were present when these items were seized,” the statement reads.
“No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones — some dating back as much as 20 years — and storage devices like flash drives and laptops, which are standard possessions of any 21st-century citizen, were removed from the property.”
The family also accused the anti-graft agency of portraying el-Rufai’s decision to remain silent during questioning as non-cooperation.
Citing the 1999 Constitution, they argued that every citizen has the right to remain silent and that no adverse inference should be drawn from exercising that right.
They further alleged that the search was conducted on the basis of a “legally defective” warrant and said their lawyers have challenged same in court.
In February, el-Rufai had alleged that someone tapped the phone of Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), enabling him to listen to a conversation in which he claimed the NSA ordered his arrest.
The former governor acknowledged that such action would be illegal but alleged that government agencies sometimes engage in similar practices without court orders
