FORMER Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has lost his mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai.
The death was announced by his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who described the loss as a painful moment for the family.
In a statement on his X handle, the younger El-Rufai said the family was grateful for the life the deceased lived and prayed for Allah to grant her soul eternal rest.
“I would like to inform the public of the demise of my grandmother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, who passed away a few hours ago. She is the biological mother of our father, Mallam Nasir @elrufai.
“We are grateful for the life she lived and may Allah SWT bless her gentle soul. May He bless the soul of the parents we have lost. On behalf of our family, we seek your prayers,” he wrote.
The latest development came a week after El-Rufai’s sister-in-law, Safiya Ali Rufai, died after a brief illness on the day of the Sallah celebration.
Safiya, who was married to the former governor’s elder brother, the late Ali Rufai, a retired air vice marshal, was described by family members as a devoted and disciplined woman who played a significant role within the family.
Her death was earlier announced by Bello El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The deaths came on the heel of the legal tussle between the former governor and the federal government.
The ICIR reports that the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna had on March 24, adjourned the hearing of the former governor’s bail application to March 31, 2026, following arguments from both defence and prosecution.
This mean that El-rufai is expected to be in custoddy of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at least until March 31.
The former governor is being prosecuted by the ICPC over allegations bordering on corruption, abuse of office, and money laundering.
According to court documents, prosecutors alleged that he unlawfully received about N579 million as severance allowance and additional foreign currency payments, which they claimed were proceeds of unlawful activities. The charges were said to contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The case also followed earlier scrutiny by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and an indictment by the Kaduna State House of Assembly over alleged diversion of public funds.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M