Former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is once more a free man. He was released around midnight after being held and interrogated for more than 15 hours at the headquarters of the State Security Service (SSS) in Asokoro, Abuja.

His release was announced by his Media Advisor, Muyiwa Adekeye, who tweeted: “Mallam Nasir El Rufai left the SSS premises at 12:35 am today after more than 15 hours.”

El-Rufai appears to have had a rough time at the SSS as he has not been able to tweet or update his Facebook page – which he usually does with passion.

His release around midnight tallied with the prediction of News Express Publisher Isaac Umunna, who, based on his own experience in the hands of the SSS, wrote yesterday afternoon: “I won’t be surprised if they employ delay tactics to keep him until it is night – that is, if they will release him today. Their style is to keep you waiting for several hours, after which they advise those accompanying you to leave at the official close of work.”

El-Rufai, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim Deputy National Secretary, had surrendered himself yesterday morning after a three-day stand-off – escorted by party chiefs who were, however, not allowed to go in with him. He was held incommunicado and his wife was denied access to him.

El-Rufai had been invited last Thursday by SSS in connection with a newspaper interview in which he predicted bloody general elections next year but he insisted that he would not honour the invitation except the SSS obtained a court warrant. He thereafter disappeared from his Maitama home in the Nigerian capital and could not be traced by SSS operatives who stormed the place on Friday. El-Rufai was also not in his second Abuja house at Imani Estate when the SSS operatives went there to look for him.

•Photo shows el-Rufai.