Former governor to honour anti-graft agency's invitation Wednesday, alleges 50 DSS operatives attempted unlawful arrest without warrant
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has confirmed he will honour an invitation from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Wednesday, February 18—days after what he described as a failed abduction attempt by security operatives at Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport .
In a post on his official X handle Friday, El-Rufai stated that the ICPC formally delivered an invitation letter following Thursday's dramatic encounter, and his legal team has since confirmed his attendance .
"Yesterday, after the futile attempt to abduct me, the ICPC delivered a letter to invite me to their office. My lawyer has written to confirm that I will be attending the ICPC office on Wednesday, 18 February 2026," he wrote .
The Airport Standoff
The controversy erupted Thursday afternoon when El-Rufai arrived from Cairo aboard EgyptAir flight MS 877. According to his account, approximately 50 operatives from the Department of State Services surrounded him at the airport, demanding he accompany them—without producing any warrant or formal invitation.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa that aired Thursday night, El-Rufai detailed the confrontation .
"They met me as I was coming out of the plane and said they are from the DSS and they would like to have a meeting with me in their office," he recounted. When he requested to see their invitation letter, the response was that documentation would be provided after leaving the airport .
"I said, excellent, where is your letter of invitation? And the young man said, we'll give you the letter when we go out of the airport," El-Rufai stated .
'They Had Come in Full Force'
As the situation escalated, more operatives emerged. "We started walking towards the immigration counter, and then more people appeared. Apparently, they had come in full force. They had about 50 operatives, and subsequently, we learned that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to do the abduction. I was supposed to be abducted by the DSS and then taken to ICPC. This we found out after the fact," he alleged .
The former governor maintained his insistence on due process throughout. When operatives demanded his passport before immigration processing, he refused, citing the need for biometric formalities .
"I said no, I always do my immigration. You have to have my biometrics," he said .
Public Intervention
According to multiple accounts, the attempted arrest was ultimately thwarted by fellow passengers and bystanders who intervened .
"Of course, by then, many people had come into the picture, and they were actually the ones that jointly and severally overpowered the DSS and ensured that I got into my car and came home," El-Rufai said .
His lawyer, Ubong Akpan, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the incident as "a flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law" .
Akpan noted that the EFCC had earlier invited El-Rufai while he was abroad, and his team had formally communicated with the commission since December 2025, assuring compliance upon his return. The EFCC was explicitly notified that El-Rufai would voluntarily appear at its office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16 .
"Resorting to arrest despite this clear commitment exemplifies arbitrary conduct and undermines procedural integrity," Akpan stated .
Passport Seizure Condemned
The legal team also condemned the alleged seizure of El-Rufai's international passport, describing it as "nothing short of stealing—the unlawful taking of private property by agents of the state acting without colour of authority" .
They cited multiple constitutional provisions violated by the operation, including rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, dignity, freedom of movement, and property ownership .
Atiku Visits, Points Finger at NSA
Following the incident, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid El-Rufai a solidarity visit at his residence. During the meeting, El-Rufai reportedly clarified that contrary to initial reports, the EFCC was not involved—rather, the operation was orchestrated by the ICPC .
"It turned out that it's the ICPC that procured DSS to abduct me and hand me over to them. The ICPC has never invited me. We just understood that it's ICPC, not EFCC, that's responsible for what happened today, and the ICPC Chairman is acting on the direct order of Nuhu Ribadu," El-Rufai told Atiku, directly implicating the National Security Adviser .
EFCC Invitation Still Standing
Despite the airport drama, El-Rufai remains scheduled to honor the EFCC invitation on Monday, February 16, as earlier communicated by his legal team. The ICPC invitation now adds a second engagement for the following Wednesday .
Neither the ICPC, DSS, nor the Office of the National Security Adviser has issued an official response to El-Rufai's allegations as of press time.
Posts
0 Comments