By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has traced a string of high-value properties in Egypt to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Officials at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) discovered the assets while probing financial activities linked to el-Rufai’s tenure as governor of Kaduna State, sources said.
Investigators reportedly identified six luxury real estate holdings in Cairo, including three villas and three apartments, located in some of the Egyptian capital’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
The villas are said to be situated in the upscale Arabilla Estate and Banafsik Estate areas of New Cairo — developments known for housing affluent residents and foreign investors.
Market checks indicate that villas in those estates typically sell for between $1m and $1.3m each, while luxury apartments in the nearby Cairo Festival City complex are valued at about $500,000 per unit.
Sources within the anti-graft commission say the discoveries form part of a wider inquiry examining financial decisions and asset declarations linked to el-Rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023.
The ICPC has not publicly announced formal charges or confirmed whether the assets have been seized, but investigators are said to be working with international partners to verify ownership records and funding sources.
El-Rufai, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political landscape and former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has not publicly responded to the claims at the time of reporting.
Anti-corruption probes into public officials have intensified in recent years as Nigerian authorities seek to track assets allegedly acquired abroad through illicit funds. Investigations often involve cooperation with foreign governments to trace properties, bank accounts and investments linked to politically exposed persons.
