The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed a security officer, Daniel Stephen, over his alleged role in helping Aichatou Assabe El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, gain unauthorised access to her husband while he was in custody.
Stephen, who was attached to the commission’s internal security team, was reportedly identified through CCTV footage after assisting Assabe to enter the ICPC premises on July 5, 2026, without going through the approved visitor clearance process.
According to a report made available to Politics Nigeria, Stephen later admitted his involvement in a handwritten statement presented to an investigation panel.
He reportedly acknowledged that he helped Assabe enter the facility “through the back door”.
The security officer was said to have driven Assabe into the commission’s premises before taking her through a rear entrance.
He then reportedly escorted her upstairs to the area where El-Rufai was being held.
Details of the incident contained in Stephen’s statement indicate that the visit was carefully kept outside the normal access procedure.
An ICPC officer quoted in the report said: “At one point, according to his handwritten account, he turned off the light before they went into the room where El-Rufai was.”
The account further stated: “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.
“Stephen said he then took her out through the same back entrance and drove her out of the commission’s premises.”
The officer reportedly told the investigation panel that he understood the commission’s visitor requirements but proceeded to assist Assabe despite the established rules.
Under the procedure he described, visitors to the ICPC headquarters are expected to have their details entered at the gate before being granted access.
Clearance from the head of the security unit is also required before a visitor can proceed into restricted sections of the facility.
Stephen reportedly accepted that he failed to follow those procedures.
“I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,” he wrote in his statement.
He also reportedly stated that the statement was made voluntarily and without coercion or duress.
The investigation did not, however, appear to be limited to the July 5 incident.
According to information attributed to ICPC insiders, Stephen’s statement also contained details of an earlier occasion when he allegedly assisted Assabe inside the commission’s premises while officials were still trying to establish her identity.
The officer reportedly said he later encountered a man who introduced himself as El-Rufai’s blood brother.
He allegedly agreed to assist the man as well and brought him into the facility through the same back entrance.
The revelations come against the backdrop of a prolonged dispute between El-Rufai and the ICPC over access to the former governor while he remains in custody.
El-Rufai has repeatedly challenged aspects of his detention and the conditions surrounding his access to family members and other persons.
In August, he filed a fresh N10 billion suit against the ICPC over alleged denial of access to his wife, Aichatou Assabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai.
The suit was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and also named the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as defendants.
El-Rufai alleged that the commission had repeatedly prevented members of his family from seeing him.
He argued that the restrictions affected his ability to receive food, medication and other necessities from his relatives.
He further alleged that his wife and son were subjected to intimidation and physical restraint during an incident on July 7.
The former governor is seeking declarations that the alleged restrictions violated his constitutional rights to dignity and private and family life. He is also demanding N10 billion in compensation.
In May, the commission rejected allegations that it was deliberately denying El-Rufai humane treatment or unlawfully restricting family access, describing some of the claims circulating at the time as “false and misleading.”
The commission has also previously taken disciplinary and investigative action over conduct surrounding El-Rufai’s custody.
In July, the ICPC raised concerns over a separate incident involving a medical visit granted to El-Rufai.
The commission said the former governor had been allowed to attend a medical consultation at the National Hospital in Abuja under security arrangements.
It later alleged that the visit was used for activities beyond the purpose for which it had been approved.
El-Rufai’s legal team subsequently rejected the commission’s account and demanded a retraction, arguing that the hospital visit was part of an existing medical arrangement and that the ICPC had misrepresented what happened.
Recall that El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 19, after being released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He is facing corruption-related charges, including allegations bordering on money laundering, abuse of office, diversion of public funds and conversion of public property.
The former governor has denied wrongdoing and is challenging the allegations in court.
