El-Rufai: How I Was Almost Arrested at Airport
*Former Kaduna governor facing karma, not persecution, says Adeyanju
*Atiku, ADC condemn incident
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday gave a detailed account of how security operatives attempted to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, describing the incident as an unlawful attempt to abduct him without due process.
However, civil rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju insisted that the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) must face investigation, arguing that the development represents “karma” rather than persecution.
But former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), strongly condemned what they described as an attempt by security operatives to arrest El-Rufai at the airport, Abuja, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, El-Rufai said what was supposed to be a routine return to Nigeria from Cairo turned into a confrontation with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
“Well, I came out of the plane, and a well-dressed young man in a nice suit approached me and said, ‘I am from the DSS (Department of State Security). I would like to meet with you in our office.’ I said, ‘That’s fine. Where is the letter of invitation?’ He said, ‘My bosses have it. I will escort you to them.’ I said, ‘I’m going through immigration. I have to do that. Just get me the letter.’
“But I noticed that as I started going, more and more people came out. Apparently, I didn’t know, because I slept through most of the flight, and even when we landed, I didn’t call any of my guys to learn what was going on. But apparently, they had moved about 50 DSS operatives to the airport with the specific instructions that I should be detained, I should be abducted and detained,” he said.
El-Rufai said he resisted attempts to compel him to accompany the operatives without a written invitation.
“So we started walking, but I saw more people coming out. I’m a politician. I’m used to crowds. I’m used to people surrounding me. And then as we moved forward, we came to the point that I either went right for immigration, or left. And two officers came forward, one big fat one and another about my height.
“They said, ‘We are from the DSS, sir. We are going this way. We need to go to your office.’ I said, ‘I’m not going to your office. I’m not going anywhere until you show me a letter of invitation. Your guy said you have a letter.’
“He said, ‘No, sir.’ I said, ‘If you don’t have a letter, I’m not going. You know my house. I live very close to the DSS headquarters. I can even walk down there if you bring a letter of invitation.’
“So I tried to turn right, and they tried to force me to go left. I said, ‘Look, don’t touch me. I’m going with my passport to have it stamped. And I’m not going where you want.’ He said, ‘You have to go where I want.’ I said, ‘Even the president cannot tell me I have to do anything. It’s a free country. It’s a democratic country. And I don’t have to do anything that I do not wish to do.’”
He said after his passport was stamped, security operatives allegedly attempted to confiscate it.
“By then, of course, some of the passengers had come and begun to form a crowd. So I turned right, and I moved on, presented my passport. It got stamped. And remember, before you stamp the passport, a DSS operative has to look at it and then hand it over to the immigration officer. This was done.
“But these guys were still following me, saying I have to go with them. I said, ‘You are wasting your time. I’m not going. I’m a citizen of this country, and I’ve been in government long enough to know the process.’
“They came up with a second scam. ‘Where is your passport?’ I said, ‘It’s just been stamped. You saw it stamped.’ Yes, and then one of the immigration officers, who is their surrogate, said, ‘No, we want to check something on the passport.’ I said, ‘Sorry, the passport is my private property,’ and I held on to it.
“But one of my aides quickly took it away from me, maybe thinking that he would protect it better. That’s the aide who got beaten up, and they seized the passport from him. They beat him up. If I had the passport with me, I would not be talking this way,” he stated.
El-Rufai said his lawyers initially believed the incident involved the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it later emerged that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) allegedly initiated the action.
“I want to say very clearly, it wasn’t the EFCC. But the DSS was procured to abduct me by the ICPC, which has never communicated with me, ever.
“The EFCC had written to me while I was away and said they would like to have a chat with me over certain issues. And I replied, once I know the date of return, I will let you know. We have written to EFCC to say that I will celebrate my birthday with them. I will come and see you at 10 am on the 16th, which is my birthday,” he said.
Speaking further, he alleged that he is being politically persecuted. “In this latest round of persecution, they have investigated me since June 2023 in Kaduna and have come up with nothing. They have arrested my former chief of staff, my commissioner of finance, my commissioner of local government, and virtually all our senior officials. Most of the charges are frivolous, and I’m quite confident they will lose,” he said.
El-Rufai insisted that all actions taken during his tenure were properly documented.
But reacting to El-Rufai’s claims, Adeyanju said security agencies likely targeted the former Governor’s passport rather than attempting to arrest him.
“I think that they wanted to target his passport, and the DSS actually got his passport. I think that was what they wanted to get. Nobody planned to arrest him. If there was a plan to arrest him, for sure they would have arrested him,” he said.
He added that the former governor benefited from a level of restraint not extended to critics during his administration.
“I watched as you interviewed him. Several of his critics didn’t even get this kind of treatment. It’s a fantastic treatment that he got at the airport,” he said.
Adeyanju maintained that El-Rufai must submit himself to investigation while still enjoying constitutional protections.
“We want him to get accorded due process of law. His rights must be respected. His rights must not be violated. But he must be investigated. It is so ironic today that the oppressors of yesterday are now crying. In summary, this is karma,” he said.
He also stressed that any attempt to detain the former governor unlawfully should be condemned.
He alleged, “I don’t think anybody planned to pick him up. If they had planned to pick him up, they would have arrested him. I have been arrested several times in my lifetime. El Rufai, as governor of Kaduna State, supervised not just the massacre of Shiites in Kaduna, but also the children of Sheikh Zaki. Sheikh Zaki was shot multiple times with his wife and put in a wheelbarrow.”
Atiku, ADC Condemn Incident
Atiku Abubakar and the leadership of the ADC strongly condemned the attempt by security operatives to arrest the former Governor of Kaduna State.
Atiku who disclosed this yesterday on his Facebook page after he paid a solidarity visit to el-Rufai, said the ADC stalwart was unfazed by the incident and remains committed to his vision for a better Nigeria.
“Last night, I paid a solidarity visit to the former Governor of Kaduna State and stalwart of the ADC following the failed attempt to arrest him at the airport upon his arrival in the country. He was unfazed by the incident and remains committed to the battle to enthrone a better Nigeria,” Atiku wrote.
The former vice president shared photos from the visit, showing him in a closed-door meeting with el-Rufai at a private residence.
He also accused the ICPC of acting in a partisan manner. A claim ICPC is yet to respond to as of the time of filing this report.
In the same vein, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement yesterday, described the incident as troubling and inconsistent with established legal procedures, warning that such actions undermined constitutional safeguards and democratic accountability standards.
According to ADC, the move raises serious concerns about due process and the political neutrality expected of security and law enforcement agencies.
It warned that actions perceived as politically motivated could undermine public trust in democratic institutions and weaken confidence in the rule of law.
The ADC stated that the incident reflected a troubling and growing pattern of selective pressure allegedly targeting opposition figures across the country.
It also decried what he described as a double standard in the ongoing anti-corruption fight.
While maintaining that no individual was above the law, it stressed that the law must never be weaponised against political opponents.
“Reports indicate that security operatives lay in wait for Malam el-Rufai at the airport with the apparent intention to effect an arrest.
“Yet no warrant was presented at the time of the attempted action, raising significant legal and constitutional concerns
“If confirmed, this represents not merely a procedural lapse but a dangerous signal that due process is treated as optional,” the party added.
The statement said while the ADC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and rule of law, it rejected the selective targeting of opposition leaders.
The party therefore called on security and law enforcement agencies to remain mindful of their professional constitutional duties.
While receiving the former vice president, el-Rufai declared that the opposition must remain resolute in its efforts to unseat the government of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai said the incident strengthened his determination to work toward Tinubu’s removal from office.
“Your Excellency, I assure you that what happened today has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard. We must not sleep between now and March 2027 until we remove this tyrant from office,” he said.
