Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has called for stronger adherence to the rule of law in Nigeria following what he described as an illegal attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
El-Rufai was reportedly approached by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt. According to reports, the anti-graft agency’s officials attempted to detain him and subsequently seized his international passport.
Reacting to the development, El-Rufai condemned the action, characterising it as an instance of executive overreach and a deliberate disregard for due process. In a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the former governor stated that Nigeria must move beyond practices that undermine constitutional safeguards and the rule of law.
“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” he wrote. “Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”
His legal counsel, Ubong Esop Akpan, also issued a strongly worded statement demanding the immediate and unconditional return of El-Rufai’s passport. The lawyer described the seizure as unlawful and threatened legal action against those involved in the operation.
Akpan further demanded “the immediate and unconditional cessation of all unlawful efforts to detain El-Rufai, the immediate return of his stolen passport, and a formal apology for this egregious infringement on his dignity and rights.”
As of the time of reporting, the EFCC has not publicly responded to the allegations surrounding the attempted arrest and passport seizure.
