By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria
Security operatives allegedly attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Thursday shortly after he arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from Cairo, Egypt.
The claim was made by El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a statement posted on his verified X account shortly after the incident. According to Adekeye, operatives approached the former governor as he disembarked from his flight and sought to take him into custody.
Adekeye said: “Security agents today attempted to arrest Malam Nasir El-Rufai as he arrived on a flight from Cairo. Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation.”
He further alleged that security personnel confiscated the former governor’s travel document during the encounter.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” Adekeye added.
The development follows El-Rufai’s earlier claim that he could be targeted for arrest by the Federal Government amid what he described as increasing political pressure on opposition figures. Speaking during an interview with BBC Hausa, the former governor said some of his associates had already been detained.
“Four people we worked together in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said.
Although he confirmed he had not been arrested at the time, El-Rufai suggested the detentions indicated a broader pattern of intimidation. He also alleged that political pressure was being mounted on politicians to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress or remain aligned with the party.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State for eight years under the APC, recently defected to the African Democratic Congress and has since intensified criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the party leadership.
The incident comes amid ongoing legal controversies involving former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who faces charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, including abuse of office and money laundering. Malami has denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.
As of press time, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had yet to issue an official response to the all
eged airport incident.
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