Security agents, on Thursday, attempted to arrest former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt, his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, has said.
Adekeye made the claim in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle shortly after the incident.
According to him, operatives approached El-Rufai as he disembarked from his flight and sought to take him into custody, but the former governor declined to accompany them without a formal invitation, a development that a caused a momentary commotion at the airport.
The statement read, “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 further alleged that the security personnel seized the former governor’s passport during the encounter.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” he added.
El-Rufai had on Wednesday stated that he could be arrested by the Federal Government, claiming that recent developments suggested he might be the next target.
El-Rufai made the allegation during an interview with BBC Hausa, where he expressed concerns over what he described as growing political intimidation against opposition figures.
The former governor, who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and later African Democratic Party (ADC), said some of his close 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.
Although he noted that he had not been arrested at the time, El-Rufai suggested that the detention of his associates signalled possible action against him.
He further alleged that political pressure was being mounted on politicians to either defect to the APC or remain within the ruling party, adding that the current political climate was forcing individuals to make decisions “not out of conviction but survival.”
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State for eight years on the APC platform, has in recent times intensified his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the party’s leadership.
His comments come amid the arrest and ongoing trial of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused Malami of offences including abuse of office and money laundering, while the Department of State Services later rearrested him over fresh allegations related to terrorism financing.
Malami, who also defected to the ADC and is reportedly eyeing the Kebbi State governorship seat in 2027, has denied all allegations, describing the charges as a “political witch-hunt” linked to his defection and opposition stance.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had yet to officially respond to the alleged attempted arrest.
