The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has dismissed Daniel Stephen,
a security officer, for allegedly helping Aichatou El-Rufai, one of the wives of Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, gain unauthorised access to her husband while he was in the commission’s custody.
Stephen, who was attached to the ICPC’s internal security team, was reportedly captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) assisting Assabe to enter the commission’s premises through a back entrance on July 5, 2026, in breach of the established visitor access procedures.
He was subsequently subjected to an internal investigation and reportedly admitted his involvement in a handwritten statement submitted to the panel.
In the statement, Stephen acknowledged that he helped Assabe gain access to her husband “through the back door”, despite being aware that she had not obtained the required clearance to visit him.
According to his account, Stephen personally drove Assabe into the ICPC premises, took her through the back entrance and escorted her upstairs to the section where the former governor was being held.
An ICPC officer familiar with the investigation said Stephen’s account indicated that he took additional steps to conceal the visit.
“At one point, according to his handwritten account, he turned off the light before they went into the room where El-Rufai was,” the officer said.
The officer added that Assabe spent about 15 minutes with her husband during the unauthorised visit.
“Aichatou 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 said.
The security officer reportedly told the investigation panel that he was fully aware that the visit did not comply with the ICPC’s established security protocols.
He explained that visitors seeking access to the commission’s premises were required to have their details properly recorded at the gate and obtain clearance from the head of the security unit before being allowed into the facility.
Stephen reportedly acknowledged that by bypassing those procedures, he had violated the commission’s rules.
“I agree that I am wrong and breached commission procedure,” he wrote in the statement, adding that the statement was made voluntarily and without coercion or duress.
The investigation, however, reportedly raised questions about whether the July 5 incident was an isolated breach or part of a wider pattern of unauthorised access facilitated by the dismissed officer.
According to ICPC insiders, Stephen’s account suggested that he had previously assisted people linked to the former governor in gaining access to the facility without following the prescribed procedures.
In one of the incidents allegedly disclosed to the panel, Stephen recounted an earlier encounter in which he helped Assabe proceed further into the commission’s premises while officials were still trying to verify her identity.
He reportedly said that after assisting her, he was approached by a man who identified himself as El-Rufai’s blood brother.
Stephen allegedly admitted that he also agreed to assist the man and subsequently brought him into the facility through the back entrance.
El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February 19, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former governor is facing allegations bordering on money laundering and conversion of public property. He has denied the allegations.
The ICPC has not publicly disclosed details of the internal disciplinary process against Stephen beyond the circumstances surrounding the alleged breach, while the allegations against El-Rufai remain subject to proceedings.
