Security Agents Attempt to Arrest El-Rufai at Abuja Airport – Aide

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Security agents on Thursday allegedly tried to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt.

The claim was made by El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a post on his verified X account. Adekeye said the operatives approached the former governor as he got off his flight and attempted to take him into custody.

According to him, El-Rufai refused to go with the agents, insisting that he would not comply without a formal invitation.

“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,” Adekeye said.

He also alleged that the security personnel seized El-Rufai’s passport during the encounter, claiming it was taken from one of his aides.

The incident comes a day after El-Rufai said he believed he could be arrested by the Federal Government. In an interview with BBC Hausa, he expressed concern over what he described as increasing political pressure on opposition figures.

The former governor, who recently left the All Progressives Congress for the African Democratic Congress, said some of his former associates had already been detained.

“Four people we worked together with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said.

El-Rufai accused the authorities of mounting pressure on politicians to either join or remain in the ruling APC, saying many were making political decisions out of fear rather than conviction.

In recent months, he has stepped up his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the leadership of the APC.

His comments come amid the arrest and trial of former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has accused Malami of offences including abuse of office and money laundering, while the Department of State Services reportedly rearrested him over additional allegations linked to terrorism financing. Malami has denied the claims, describing them as politically motivated.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had not issued an official statement on the alleged incident involving El-Rufai.

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