Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has accused the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of being behind an alleged attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
El-Rufai made the allegation on Thursday night while speaking with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who visited him at his residence in solidarity following the incident. The former governor had just returned from a trip to Cairo, Egypt, when security operatives reportedly confronted him at the airport.
According to El-Rufai, officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), were responsible for the attempted arrest, not the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as initially speculated.
“It turned out that it’s the ICPC that procured DSS to abduct me and hades me over to them. The ICPC has never invited me.
“We just understand that it’s the ICPC not EFCC that’s responsible for what happened today and the ICPC chairman is acting of the direct order of Nuhu Ribadu,” El-Rufai said.
In response, Atiku expressed sympathy for the former governor and emphasized the importance of political collaboration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We must come together and form very viable opposition because Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one party state,” Atiku said, referring to President Bola Tinubu.
The incident has intensified political tensions, with debates growing over the role of security agencies and the state of opposition politics in Nigeria as the next election cycle approaches.
