By Eteteonline
After security personnel attempted to arrest former Kaduna State governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt, there was drama and tension at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
Security personnel reportedly approached El-Rufai as soon as he disembarked from his flight, but he refused to follow them without an official invitation, according to his media assistant Muyiwa Adekeye. However, an aide gave them his international passport.
According to Mallam El-Rufai, the Department of State Services (DSS) agents tried to arrest him based on the request of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC). He claimed that about fifty DSS agents tried to arrest him without a warrant. He has called the effort to arrest him at the airport a willful violation of the law and an executive overreach.
Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s attempted arrest has been denounced by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which sees it as a danger to Nigeria’s democratic principles and a concerning indication of growing political intimidation.
Following the unsuccessful effort to arrest Mallam El-Rufai at the airport, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the ICPC of operating in a biased manner. During a solidarity visit to El-Rufai at his home in Abuja, he declared the episode to be a national embarrassment.
Ubong Akpan, El-Rufai’s attorney, denounced what he called an illegal attempt to arrest his client, claiming that DSS agents had proceeded against him without a warrant or invitation letter.
Along with calling for the quick restoration of the former governor’s passport, a formal apology, and an end to what he described as illegal attempts to hold his client, Akpan also threatened to take legal action against those involved. Despite the incident, the attorney insisted that El-Rufai had no intention of avoiding inquiry and would comply with all valid law enforcement summonses.
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