By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Security operatives allegedly attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, according to his lawyer.
In a statement issued in Abuja, counsel to El-Rufai, Mr. Ubong Esop Akpan, said the incident occurred shortly after his client arrived from Cairo aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877.
The lawyer alleged that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) approached El-Rufai at the airport without presenting any arrest warrant or formal letter of invitation.
Akpan said the action followed an invitation earlier issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he claimed was delivered to El-Rufai’s residence while he was outside the country.
According to the statement, El-Rufai’s legal team had been in correspondence with the EFCC since December 2025 and had informed the commission that he would voluntarily appear at its office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026.
Despite this, the lawyer alleged that security operatives attempted to detain El-Rufai at the airport and seized his international passport.
He described the move as a violation of El-Rufai’s constitutional rights, including the rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, fair hearing, dignity of the human person, and property.
The statement also claimed that some Nigerians present at the airport intervened and insisted that due process be followed.
Akpan said El-Rufai would honour all legitimate invitations from law enforcement agencies and warned that legal action would be taken against those responsible for what he described as unlawful conduct.
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS and the EFCC had yet to issue an official response.