Security operatives seize El-Rufai’s passport after botched arrest attempt – aide

There was an attempt to arrest former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday.

Muyiwa Adekeye, Media Adviser to the former governor, disclosed this in a series of posts and videos on social media.

He said El-Rufai was returning from Cairo, Egypt, when he was approached by security operatives.

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.

It is unclear if the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are behind the move to arrest the former governor but a video posted by Adekeye showed an official of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) attempting to prevent people from recording the incident.

In an interview with BBC 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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