Security operatives on Thursday reportedly attempted to detain a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The development was disclosed by his Media Adviser, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, in a statement posted on his verified X handle shortly after the incident.
According to the statement, the operatives approached the former governor upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt, and sought to take him into custody.
However, El-Rufai was said to have declined accompanying them, insisting that he would only respond to a formal invitation.
Mr. Adekeye further alleged that during the encounter, the operatives seized El-Rufai’s passport from one of his aides.
Radio Nigeria recalls that the former governor had, in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, expressed concerns that he might be arrested, citing what he described as increasing political pressure on opposition figures.
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), claimed that four of his associates in Kaduna had been arrested, suggesting that he could be the next target.
He also alleged that some politicians were being pressured to either defect to the ruling party or remain within its fold, describing the current political atmosphere as one driven by survival rather than conviction.
The former governor has in recent times been critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the leadership of the APC.
Meanwhile, the incident comes amid the arrest and ongoing trial of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from the Nigerian Immigration Service or the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria regarding the alleged incident involving Malam El-Rufai.