The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed a security officer, Daniel Stephen, for allegedly granting unauthorised access to Aichatou Assabe el-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, to visit her husband in custody.
The development was reported by TheCable, which cited sources within the commission and a handwritten statement reportedly submitted by Stephen to an investigation panel.
According to the report, Stephen was caught on CCTV allegedly assisting Aichatou to gain access to the ICPC premises through a route outside the commission’s approved visitor procedure.
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The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Stephen, who was attached to the commission’s internal security team, allegedly admitted in his handwritten statement that he assisted el-Rufai’s wife to see her husband through the “back door”.
Sources cited in the report said Stephen drove Aichatou into the commission’s premises, took her through the rear entrance and escorted her upstairs to the section where el-Rufai was being held.
The report further alleged that Stephen turned off the light at one point before the woman entered the room where the former governor was being held.
According to the account attributed to an ICPC officer, Aichatou handed her husband a document, collected a black purse and discussed a court matter with him in Hausa.
The visit reportedly lasted about 15 minutes, after which Stephen allegedly escorted her out through the same rear entrance and drove her away from the commission’s premises.
In his statement, Stephen reportedly acknowledged that the visit did not comply with the ICPC’s established security procedures.
He explained that visitors to the commission were required to have their details recorded at the gate and obtain clearance from the head of the security unit before being allowed into the premises.
“I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,” Stephen reportedly wrote in the statement, adding that he made the statement voluntarily and without coercion or duress.
ICPC sources further alleged that Stephen’s involvement was not limited to the July 5 incident.
According to the report, the dismissed officer also described an earlier encounter in which he helped escort Aichatou further into the facility while her identity was being confirmed.
Stephen reportedly said he was subsequently approached by a man who identified himself as el-Rufai’s blood brother and that he also assisted the man to gain access through the rear entrance.
The development comes amid an ongoing legal dispute between the former governor and the anti-corruption agency.
El-Rufai, who is facing trial over allegations including money laundering and conversion of public property, has been in ICPC custody since February 19, 2026, following his release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In August, the former governor instituted a N10 billion suit against the ICPC, alleging that the commission denied his wife and son access to him while he was in custody.
Among the reliefs sought by el-Rufai was an apology and damages over what he described as the denial of access to his family.
The latest development involving Stephen is therefore likely to add another dimension to the dispute over access to the former governor while in detention.
The ICPC has not, in the material reported, publicly disclosed further details of the disciplinary action against Stephen beyond the circumstances surrounding the alleged breach of its visitor-access procedures.