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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed a security officer accused of granting unauthorised access to one of the wives of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, while he was in the commission\'s custody.
The dismissed officer, Daniel Stephen, who was attached to the ICPC\'s internal security team, was accused of assisting Aichatou Assabe El-Rufai to bypass established visitor procedures and gain access to the former governor on July 5, 2026.
According to reports, CCTV footage captured Stephen driving Assabe into the commission\'s premises through a back entrance before escorting her to the section where El-Rufai was being detained.
Stephen reportedly admitted to the act in a handwritten statement submitted to an internal investigation panel.
He confessed that he took Assabe through the back entrance and acknowledged that the visit did not comply with the commission\'s security protocols.
According to an ICPC official quoted in the report, Stephen switched off the lights before entering the room where El-Rufai was being held.
During the visit, Assabe reportedly handed her husband a document, collected a black purse and spoke with him in Hausa about a court matter before leaving after about 15 minutes.
Stephen said he later escorted her out through the same back entrance and drove her out of the commission\'s premises.
He admitted knowing that the visit breached ICPC regulations, noting that all visitors are required to register at the gate and obtain clearance from the head of the security unit before accessing the facility.
\"I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,\" Stephen reportedly wrote, adding that he made the statement voluntarily and without coercion.
The investigation also allegedly uncovered that the officer had previously assisted Assabe in gaining access to the facility while officials were still verifying her identity.
Stephen further claimed that after that encounter, a man who introduced himself as El-Rufai\'s blood brother approached him for assistance, and he also escorted him into the premises through the back entrance.
Nasir El-Rufai has remained in ICPC custody since February 19 after his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He is facing charges of money laundering and conversion of public property, allegations he has denied.
