Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of deploying security agencies for political purposes, alleging that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, ordered his arrest in what he described as a calculated move to intimidate opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai made the claims while addressing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who visited him following an alleged attempt by security operatives to detain him at an airport. The former governor said the incident had only strengthened his resolve to work toward unseating the Tinubu-led government in 2027.
“Your Excellency, I assure you that what happened today has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard. We must not sleep between now and March 2027 until we remove this tyrant from office,” El-Rufai said.
Airport Drama
According to El-Rufai, the incident occurred when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) allegedly attempted to detain him at the airport and hand him over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He described the episode as “unfortunate, totally unnecessary, and probably criminal,” insisting that due process was not followed.
He claimed that he had not received any formal invitation from the ICPC prior to the incident and argued that security agencies have established rules of engagement that must be respected.
“Agencies have rules of engagement and all I asked for was give me a letter of invitation and I will visit your office,” he said. “But it turned out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to abduct me and hand me over to them. The ICPC has never contacted me or sought to invite me up to the point we were at the airport.”
El-Rufai further clarified that while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had previously written to him inviting him for questioning, his legal team had formally responded. According to him, his lawyer notified the anti-graft agency that he was out of the country and would return to appear before the commission at 10 a.m. on Monday.
