There was a failed attempt to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, according to his media aide.
Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s Media Adviser, revealed in a series of social media posts and videos that the former governor was approached by security operatives as he arrived on a flight from Cairo, Egypt.
“A group of security agents attempted to take Malam Nasir El-Rufai into custody as he disembarked. However, the former governor declined to comply, insisting he would only honour such a request if presented with a formal invitation,” Adekeye stated.
The aide further claimed that during the encounter, the security operatives seized El-Rufai’s passport from one of his aides. “They snatched his passport without consent,” he added.
It remains unclear whether the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are responsible for the attempted arrest. A video shared by Adekeye shows an official from the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) trying to prevent bystanders from recording the incident.
Earlier, in an interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai expressed concerns that his arrest could be imminent amid increasing political pressure. A prominent chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), El-Rufai noted that “four people we worked with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too.”
He also alleged that political coercion is prompting some politicians either to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or remain within it under duress.
