Security Operatives Seized El-Rufai’s Passport After Botched Arrest, Says Aide

Media adviser to the former Kaduna governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, has said there was an attempt to arrest the former minister at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday.

The former minister was returning to the country a day after he said he had learned of a plan to arrest him when he returned.
He, however, did not say when he would return or which country he was in.

He had also alleged, “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.

But on Thursday, THE WHISTLER learned the former governor was in Cairo, Egypt.

Adekeye said in a series of posts and videos on social media that El-Rufai was approached by security operatives at the airport, who sought to take him into custody.

According to him, the former governor declined to follow them, insisting that he would not honour the request without a formal invitation.

The post, which was retweeted by El-Rufai, read, “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 further alleged that the security personnel seized the former governor’s passport during the encounter.

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

The former governor had accused the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of plotting to arrest him, but neither has reacted to the claims. It is unclear if these agencies were behind the move to arrest the former governor.

The former governor joined the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and has since been critical of the Bola Tinubu administration.