SECURITY operatives on Thursday, February 12, attempted to arrest former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, upon his arrival in Nigeria from Cairo, his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, said.
Adekeye stated that El-Rufai refused to accompany the operatives because they did not present any formal invitation or warrant, adding that the officials seized his international passport from an aide during the encounter.
”Security agents today attempted to arrest Malam Nasir @elrufai as he arrived on a flight from Cairo. Malam El- Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They however snatched his international passport from an aide,” he wrote.
Viral videos circulating online showed a brief scuffle involving men wearing green jackets, while El-Rufai was heard insisting that proper procedure must be followed before he could comply with any request.
Other clips showed supporters surrounding him and escorting him away from the area.
It was unclear whether the operatives were from the state of State Services (SSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), or a related security agency. But The ICIR saw some men in green jackets having an altercation with the former governor.
Rising political tension
The development came a day after El-Rufai alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government might move to arrest him.
Speaking during a BBC Hausa interview on Wednesday, the former governor, now a prominent figure in the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), claimed that political pressure was being applied on some politicians to either defect to the ruling APC or remain within it.
He said although he had not been detained, several of his associates had been arrested in recent days.
“Four people we worked with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” El-Rufai said.
The ICIR reports that his comments followed the arrest and ongoing prosecution of some bigwigs under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, including the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige; and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who are facing criminal allegations from the EFCC including abuse of office, money laundering, and terrorism financing.
Malami has denied the accusations, describing them as a political witch-hunt after leaving the APC for the ADC.
As of press time, no Nigerian security agency has issued an official statement confirming an attempt to arrest El-Rufai.
The ICIR reports that Kaduna State Government, led by Uba Sani, had accused its predecessor, under El-Rufai, of gross corruption.
Besides, El-Rufai, one of the northern APC governors who fought to ensure President Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, has fallen out with the president, after his nomination as a cabinet member ended in a fiasco.
He has since been a fierce critic of the Tinubu’s government, vowing to ensure his defeat when he seeks re-election in 2027.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M