Security operatives on Thursday allegedly attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
The allegation was made by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
According to Adekeye, security agents approached El-Rufai shortly after he disembarked from his flight and sought to take him into custody.
“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.
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Adekeye further claimed that the operatives seized the former governor’s passport during the encounter.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” he added.
A day earlier, El-Rufai had alleged that he might be arrested by the Federal Government, citing what he described as growing political intimidation against opposition figures.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, the former governor said some of his former associates in Kaduna had been arrested.
“Four people we worked together with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said.
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleged that politicians were being pressured to either join or remain in the ruling party. He has recently intensified his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the APC leadership.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had not issued any official response to the allegations.