Security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai at Abuja airport, aide alleges

Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai, has alleged that security operatives attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Adekeye said the operatives approached el-Rufai shortly after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt, but he declined to go with them because no formal invitation was presented.

Ubong Akpan, counsel to the former governor, described the incident as a violation of his client’s constitutional rights and an abuse of executive power. He claimed officers of the Department of State Services tried to detain el-Rufai without a warrant or any official letter of invitation.

According to Akpan, el-Rufai requested to see the invitation letter, but none was provided.

The lawyer further alleged that the operatives seized el-Rufai’s international passport from one of his aides, describing the action as unlawful and a breach of his property rights.

Akpan said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had sent an invitation to el-Rufai’s residence in December 2025 while he was out of the country, which his team considered impractical. He added that the former governor’s legal team later informed the commission on February 11, 2026, that el-Rufai would voluntarily appear at its office by 10:00 am on February 16, 2026.

Despite this assurance, Akpan said the attempted arrest still took place.

He cited alleged violations of el-Rufai’s rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, dignity, freedom of movement, and ownership of property.

“There is no lawful basis for the attempted arrest or the treatment meted out to him,” the statement said, adding that el-Rufai returned to Nigeria after medical treatment abroad and had publicly expressed readiness to respond to any legitimate inquiry.

Akpan demanded the immediate return of the passport, an end to what he described as unlawful efforts to detain his client, and a formal apology.

He maintained that el-Rufai would honour any legitimate summons from law enforcement agencies.