Security operatives on Thursday attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in what his legal counsel has described as a “flagrant violation of constitutional rights and executive overreach.”
El-Rufai arrived in Abuja aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877 from Cairo. His counsel, Ubong Esop Akpan of The Chambers of Ubong Akpan, said in a statement that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) moved to arrest his client without presenting any warrant or formal letter of invitation.
“When he calmly demanded to see the letter of invitation a basic entitlement of any citizen facing state action, none could be produced. No document, no signed directive, no lawful process,” the statement read.
“There was only raw power, unclothed by law.”
The incident occurred despite prior communication with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding an invitation sent to El-Rufai’s residence while he was abroad. According to the statement, the defence team formally responded on his behalf in December 2025, assuring compliance upon his return.
“Yesterday, we explicitly notified them that he would voluntarily appear at their office by 10am on Monday, February 16, 2026, specifying the precise place and time for addressing the invitation. Resorting to arrest despite this clear commitment exemplifies arbitrary conduct and undermines procedural integrity,” Akpan said.
The counsel further alleged that security operatives “physically snatched his international passport” without legal authority, an act he described as “stealing the unlawful taking of private property by agents of the state acting without colour of authority.”
Eyewitnesses at the airport, the statement noted, intervened to insist that any arrest must follow due process.
“Ordinary Nigerians present at the airport, incensed by this open display of oppression, surrounded the scene and insisted loudly that he could only be arrested upon a legitimate process. Their voices, defiant and unbowed, were a testament to the citizenry’s unyielding commitment to the rule of law, even as state agents acted in flagrant disregard of it,” the statement read.
Akpan listed several constitutional provisions he said were breached, including the rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, dignity of the human person, freedom of movement, and the right to own property.
He stressed that El-Rufai had returned to the country willingly despite prior intelligence suggesting plans to arrest him upon arrival.
“Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai will never take the cowardly route of running away from law enforcement. He will honour, without preconditions, all legitimate law enforcement summons,” Akpan said.
The legal team demanded the immediate cessation of all unlawful efforts to detain El-Rufai, the return of his passport, and a formal apology. It also vowed to pursue legal action against all persons and agencies involved in the incident.
“The judiciary remains the ultimate arbiter, and we shall seek redress through all available legal channels to protect the sanctity of the law,” the statement concluded.
