Bello El-Rufai thanks Peter Obi for checking on detained father

Bello El-Rufai, a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has thanked former Anambra State governor Peter Obi for repeatedly checking on his father, Nasir El-Rufai, while the former Kaduna governor remained in detention. Bello made the remarks during an interview with Ibrahim Ismaila Ahmed, uploaded on Monday and reported to have gone viral on Tuesday. He said several political figures had contacted the family, but singled out Obi for regularly calling to ask about his father.

“Particularly Governor Peter Obi ... he kept calling,” Bello said, according to the interview. He added that the calls had given him a personal lesson because he had previously been critical of Obi, who is the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate.

Nasir El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission since February 18, 2026, in connection with an ongoing investigation. The supplied material does not state whether charges have been filed or when the investigation may be concluded. Bello also thanked other political figures who had reached out, naming Waziri Adamawa, Rotimi Amaechi, Bola Tinubu, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and others.

He said their support had been important to the family during the period of detention. Obi had previously condemned what he described as El-Rufai’s prolonged detention and called it political persecution. The supplied report does not include a response from the ICPC to that claim.

Bello said his father had used his time in custody to read books, study the Quran and reflect on his life and work. He described the period as an opportunity for El-Rufai to plan, reflect and reconsider aspects of his conduct after years of work.