Attempted arrest: Nigeria must outgrow disregard for rule of law – El-Rufai

Former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has reacted to the attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, earlier on Thursday.

Daily Trust had reported how men of the Department of State Services (DSS) attempted to pick the former governor up at the airport upon his arrival from Egypt.

According to his legal team, “ordinary Nigerians” at the airport insisted that El-Rufai could only be arrested upon a legitimate process.

Posting the statement of his lawyers on his X account, El-Rufai wrote, ”My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo. Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”

Muyiwa Adekeye, Media Adviser to the former governor, had earlier raised the alarm on the attempt to arrest El-Rufai.

Adekeye said the operatives approached the former governor as he disembarked from his flight and 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.

In an interview with DCL Hausa, El-Rufai had said he could be arrested anytime soon.

El-Rufai, a chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), also alleged that political pressure is forcing some politicians to defect to the ruling APC or remain within it.

“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 had said.

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