Security operatives on Thursday allegedly tried to detain former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at an airport shortly after he returned to Nigeria from Cairo. The claim was made by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, who said the incident happened upon the former governor’s arrival from an international trip.
According to Adekeye, security agents approached El-Rufai as he landed and made efforts to take him into custody. He said the former governor refused to go with them because there was no formal invitation or official warrant presented to him at the time.
Adekeye further stated that after El-Rufai declined to follow the operatives, the officers reportedly took his international passport from one of his aides at the airport. He alleged that the passport was seized during the encounter.
The statement did not give details about the agency involved in the alleged action or the reason behind the attempted arrest. It also did not confirm whether El-Rufai was later allowed to leave the airport without further issues.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official response from security authorities regarding the allegation. The development comes amid recent political debates and public comments involving the former governor.