El–Rufai to appear before ICPC after alleged arrest attempt

Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, has confirmed that he will honour an invitation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following what he described as a failed attempt to arrest him.

In a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, he disclosed that operatives of the anti-graft agency had initially attempted to arrest him, a move he characterised as futile, before subsequently delivering a formal letter inviting him to appear at the Commission’s office.

According to him, the invitation was received shortly after the attempted action by the agency’s officials.

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“Yesterday, after the futile attempt to abduct me, the ICPC delivered a letter to invite me to their office,” he wrote.

He further stated that his legal representative has formally responded to the Commission, confirming his readiness to comply with the invitation.

“My lawyer has written to confirm that I will be attending the ICPC office on Wednesday, 18 February 2026,” the post added.

However, the specific allegations prompting the invitation were not disclosed in the statement.

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 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  Malami 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.

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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).