El-Rufai condemns attempted arrest at Abuja Airport

Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State on Thursday strongly condemned what he described as an illegal attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, shortly after his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.

In a statement released by on his X account, El-Rufai denounced the incident as a breach of constitutional rights and a troubling display of executive overreach.

The statement emphasised that such actions undermine the rule of law and threaten public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

Read also: Security agents attempt to arrest El-Rufai at Abuja airport, seize passport

“Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law,” the statement read, calling for all security agencies and public officials to adhere strictly to legal procedures in the exercise of their duties.

The statement further warned that any attempts to bypass due process or target individuals for political reasons would face rigorous legal challenges.

El-Rufai’s legal team pledged to ensure that the incident is properly investigated and that the former governor’s rights are fully protected under the law.

It was gathered that security operatives on Thursday allegedly attempted to arrest  El-Rufai, upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from Cairo, Egypt.

The allegation was made by Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s Media Adviser, in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account shortly after the incident.

According to Adekeye, the operatives approached the former governor as he disembarked from his flight and sought to take him into custody.

He claimed that El-Rufai declined to accompany the agents, insisting that he would not comply without a formal invitation or official communication.

“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,” the statement read.

Adekeye further alleged that during the encounter, security personnel seized the former governor’s passport from one of his aides.

“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official confirmation from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), or any security agency regarding the alleged incident.

The development comes amid El-Rufai’s recent claims that he could be the next target of arrest by the Federal Government.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, the former governor expressed concerns over what he described as growing political intimidation against opposition figures.

He alleged that some of his close associates in Kaduna had already been detained.

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

While clarifying that he had not been arrested, El-Rufai suggested that the detention of his associates pointed to possible action against him.

He also alleged that political pressure was being mounted on politicians to either defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or remain within its fold.

According to him, the prevailing political climate was compelling individuals to make decisions based on survival rather than conviction.

El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State for eight years under the APC platform, recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).