Family members of embattled former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, have denied reports that phone-tapping equipment was found at his residence during a search conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

 

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family described the allegation as false and challenged the anti-graft agency to formally arraign the former governor in court if there are legitimate charges against him.

 

The reaction follows ICPC’s claim that it recovered equipment allegedly capable of tapping conversations, along with sensitive security documents, from El-Rufai’s Abuja residence.

 

The commission made the disclosure in an affidavit filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in opposition to a suit instituted by El-Rufai, in which he alleged violations of his fundamental human rights.

 

However, the family dismissed the ICPC’s assertions as “a work of fiction” and part of what it described as a “trumped-up media war.”

 

According to the statement, items recovered from the residence were “old discarded personal mobile phones, some dating back as much as 20 years, and storage devices such as flash drives and laptops,” insisting that there was no phone-tapping equipment as alleged by the commission.

 

The family further accused the anti-graft agency of weaponising El-Rufai’s silence, stressing that every citizen has the constitutional right to remain silent.

 

“Silence is not an act of non-cooperation but a fundamental human right,” the statement said.

 

They also questioned the credibility of the ICPC’s operations and vowed to pursue the matter to what they described as a just and lawful conclusion.