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El-Rufai’s Airport Drama Rekindles Crackdown Claims
Attempt to arrest a former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, has instilled fear of a crackdown in the opposition.
The airport drama, which allegedly involved security operatives seeking to take the former governor into custody without presenting a warrant, came hours after El-Rufai publicly predicted that he would soon be arrested.
It also followed the arrest, detention, arraignment and continued detention of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), another prominent opposition figure.
The sequence of events has deepened concerns within opposition circles that security agencies are increasingly being deployed in political battles ahead of 2027.
However, the allegations against El-Rufai, including a 2024 indictment by the Kaduna State House of Assembly over alleged financial improprieties, complicate the narrative and place the former governor at the intersection of politics and accountability.
El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed the attempted arrest in a series of posts and videos shared on social media shortly after the incident.
According to Adekeye, security operatives approached the former governor as he disembarked from a flight from Cairo, Egypt, and sought to take him into custody. El-Rufai reportedly declined to accompany them, insisting that he would not submit himself to arrest without a formal letter of invitation or warrant.
“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 wrote in a post later retweeted by the former governor.
Video clips circulating online showed a tense scene at the airport, with supporters and other bystanders surrounding the former governor as operatives engaged him. The situation reportedly degenerated into chaos, with members of the public insisting that due process be followed before any arrest.
It was gathered that during the confrontation, operatives seized El-Rufai’s international passport before leaving the scene when he refused to accompany them. Adekeye confirmed that the passport was taken.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” he said.
As of press time, it remained unclear whether the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) initiated the attempted arrest. Neither of the agencies had issued a statement.
Legal team alleges constitutional violations
In a follow-up statement signed by Ubong Esop Akpan of The Chambers of Ubong Akpan and shared on El-Rufai’s verified X and Facebook pages, the former governor’s legal team alleged that the operation was orchestrated by officials of the DSS.
The statement accused security operatives of “flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”
According to the lawyers, the EFCC had earlier delivered an invitation to El-Rufai’s residence while he was abroad.
“The invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was delivered to Malam El-Rufai’s residence while he was already abroad, rendering it inherently illogical and impractical to demand immediate attendance to answer purported allegations,” the statement said.
The counsel added that the EFCC had been formally notified of El-Rufai’s return and willingness to comply.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we explicitly notified them that he would voluntarily appear at their office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, specifying the precise place and time for addressing the invitation,” the statement said.
The legal team alleged that upon arrival in Abuja, operatives from the DSS attempted to arrest him without presenting any warrant or formal documentation.
“When he calmly demanded to see the letter of invitation, a basic entitlement of any citizen facing state action, none could be produced. No document, no signed directive, no lawful process. There was only raw power, unclothed by law,” the statement said.
The lawyers described the seizure of his passport as unlawful, calling it “nothing short of stealing, the unlawful taking of private property by agents of the state acting without colour of authority.”
They cited Sections 34, 35, 36, 41 and 44 of the Constitution, which guarantee dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement and protection from compulsory acquisition of property.
“There exists no justifiable basis for this attempted arrest or the accompanying mistreatment,” the statement added.
The legal team demanded the immediate return of the passport, the cessation of what it described as unlawful efforts to detain him, and a formal apology. It warned that legal action would be pursued against individuals and agencies responsible.
“The judiciary remains the ultimate arbiter, and we shall seek redress through all available legal channels to protect the sanctity of the law,” the statement said.
El-Rufai, the lawyers added, would not evade lawful processes.
“Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai will never take the cowardly route of running away from law enforcement. He will honour without preconditions all legitimate law enforcement summons,” they said.
A familiar pattern?
The attempted arrest came barely 24 hours after El-Rufai alleged that the federal government was intensifying a crackdown on opposition figures and that he might soon be targeted.
Now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), El-Rufai has in recent months emerged as one of the fiercest critics of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration; the government he helped bring to power under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In an interview on Trust TV’s 30 Minutes programme on Monday, he accused the administration of incompetence, cronyism and tribalism, and vowed that the ADC would unseat the APC in 2027.
“We’re tapping into the dissatisfaction, the incompetence, the false propaganda of this administration, and the extreme cronyism and tribalism that this administration has shown. We are tapping into that and we’re doing so quietly, silently, at the lowest levels of electoral significance. And APC is going to get the surprise of its life,” he said.
At the 23rd Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja on January 22, 2026, El-Rufai delivered a broader critique of what he described as the “personalisation” of state institutions.
He drew a distinction between national security and regime security, arguing that security agencies were being diverted from combating banditry and terrorism to pursuing political opponents.
“The law should protect citizens, not terrify them like what is happening in Nigeria. Detention without court order must end,” he said.
He further stated: “These guys don’t care about public good. They didn’t come to govern. They came to enrich themselves, pure and simple.”
His allies argue that the attempted arrest fits a pattern in which outspoken critics of the government are subjected to legal and security pressures. The recent arrest and arraignment of Abubakar Malami has strengthened that perception within opposition ranks.
However, government supporters maintained that anti-corruption investigations should not be politicised and that public office holders must account for their stewardship.
Kaduna Assembly indictment
The controversy surrounding El-Rufai predates his defection to the ADC, but came shortly after his fallout with his successor, Governor Uba Sani and he became critical of the APC and the Tinubu-led government.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted him and several aides who served under his administration between 2015 and 2023 over the alleged siphoning of more than N4 billion in state resources.
The ad hoc committee that investigated the matter, chaired by the deputy speaker, Henry Magaji Danjuma, presented its report during plenary, alleging that most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were not used for their intended purposes.
The committee further alleged that due process was not followed in securing both domestic and foreign loans in some instances.
Receiving the report, the speaker of the House, Yusuf Liman, said over N4 billion was siphoned during the administration, leaving the state with significant liabilities.
The House recommended that Governor Uba Sani refer El-Rufai, former Commissioners of Finance, heads of agencies and former Accountant Generals to security and anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution for alleged abuse of office, contract irregularities, diversion of public funds and money laundering.
Arrest of former commissioners
El-Rufai’s former cabinet members strongly rejected the Assembly’s findings.
In a joint statement, they described the report as “sensation-driven” and “fact-challenged,” alleging that it was motivated by malice and conducted with patent unfairness.
They defended the administration’s record, stating that it made significant contributions to Kaduna State’s development between 2015 and 2023.
They denied allegations of money laundering and disputed the findings on loan management, insisting that all loans were properly secured and utilised for development projects.
They also maintained that contracts were awarded in compliance with the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority Law. Subsequent developments further heightened tensions. Security operatives in Kaduna arrested two former commissioners who served under El-Rufai — Jafaru Ibrahim Sani and Bashir Saidu.
Jafaru Sani was taken into custody by policemen from Operation Fushin KADA shortly after leaving his residence. He was later taken to a court on Daura Road in Kaduna and remanded.
His arrest came shortly after he and five other former commissioners left the APC, hours after El-Rufai resigned from the party.
Similarly, Bashir Saidu, El-Rufai’s former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance, was arrested in January by operatives of an anti-banditry police outfit on the outskirts of Kaduna. He was charged to court and detained in a correctional facility for about 50 days before being granted bail as investigations continued.
Attempt to arrest El-Rufai hallmark of illegality – ADC
The coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the attempt by security operatives to arrest former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as a hallmark of illegality.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, told Daily Trust that were Mallam El-Rufai to be a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, he would not have been treated that way.
He said what happened at the airport had no place in the rule of law, adding that if the ADC chieftain has questions to answer he would gladly do so.
In a terse message the ADC spokesman said, “It is the hallmark of illegality. A gestapo style that has no place under the rule of law. If Mallam El-Rufai has questions to answer, he would certainly be happy to do so.
“But we have no doubt that were he to be a member of the ruling party, he would not be treated that way. The world is watching”, he said.
Also speaking on the matter, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, condemned what he described as the “crude and unorthodox attempt” to arrest the former governor.
Reacting to the incident in a statement by his media office in Abuja, the former Vice President said, “While I support the anti-corruption effort in the country (having been pivotal in setting up the commission), I am worried about the politicisation of arrests that disproportionately target opposition leaders, especially the ADC since it came into being”.
Atiku said “the fanatical zeal the EFCC has been going after ADC coalition figures” is a deviation from its constitutional mandate.
He pointed out that the EFCC was not established to be a political tool of the president or the ruling party, adding “if we continue on this path, the EFCC will lose credibility and compromise its independence.”
Atiku recalled that the Uwais Panel on Electoral Reforms specifically recommended that the EFCC chairman should be answerable to the Chief Justice of Nigeria in order to protect its independence.
The former Vice President, however, regretted that the implementation panel set up by the Umaru Musa Yar’adua administration failed to adopt the recommendation of the Uwais Panel on the independence of the EFCC.
Daily Trust gathered that the former Vice President later visited El-Rufai at his Abuja residence. That visit occurred shortly after former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, another ADC chieftain, visited the former Kaduna State governor.
Political violence and police invitation
Tensions escalated further when suspected thugs reportedly disrupted an ADC coalition meeting at NUT Endwell Hotel in Kaduna metropolis.
Window panes were smashed and chairs hurled at participants. Vehicles belonging to residents and party officials were vandalised despite police presence.
Some attendees reportedly sustained injuries after stones were thrown in an attempt to disperse the gathering.
El-Rufai, who was present alongside ADC North West Vice Chairman Jafaru Sani, Bashir Saidu and other coalition figures, accused the APC of orchestrating the attack. The APC denied the allegation, stating that it does not believe in or support thuggery.
In the aftermath, the Kaduna State Police Command invited El-Rufai and several ADC leaders over allegations of criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, mischief and causing grievous hurt.
In a letter referenced CR:3000/KDS/X/D4/vOL.120/199 and signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, CID, Uzairu Abdullahi, the ADC Chairman in Kaduna was directed to produce Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir Saidu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed (a.k.a. 30), Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini (a.k.a. Mikiya) for questioning.
The police said they were investigating a petition filed on September 8, 2025.
El-Rufai declined the invitation and instead petitioned the State Police Command, alleging complicity in the attack.
The attempted arrest at the Abuja airport has now added a new layer to an already combustible political situation.
For his supporters, the sequence — his criticism of APC, fallout with Governor Sani and President Tinubu, Assembly indictment, arrests of former aides, disruption of political meetings, police invitations, and now an attempted airport arrest — reinforces the belief that opposition figures are being systematically pressured.
For critics, the allegations of financial misconduct during his eight-year tenure as governor remain serious and demand full investigation.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to clarify the circumstances of the attempted arrest or the legal basis for seizing El-Rufai’s passport.
However, what remains clear is that the former governor, once a central pillar of the APC, now finds himself at the centre of a political and legal confrontation that is likely to test both the resilience of opposition politics and the credibility of anti-corruption institutions in the run-up to 2027.(Daily trust)
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