Tension at Abuja Airport as Security Operatives Allegedly Attempt to Detain El-Rufai

There was mild tension at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday following reports that security operatives attempted to detain former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, shortly after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt.

Eyewitnesses at the airport claimed that the officers approached the former governor upon arrival, but some bystanders reportedly objected, insisting that any request for his appearance should be conveyed through a formal invitation rather than an on-the-spot arrest.

As of the time of filing this report, the reason for the attempted detention had not been officially disclosed, and relevant authorities had yet to issue a formal statement clarifying the situation.

Earlier, El-Rufai had indicated in a statement that there were moves to arrest him.

Meanwhile, his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, confirmed the incident in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, alleging that security agents tried to take the former governor into custody at the airport. According to him, El-Rufai declined to accompany the officers without a written invitation, after which they allegedly seized his passport from an aide.

“Security agents today attempted to arrest Malam Nasir El-Rufai as he arrived on a flight from Cairo. Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They however snatched his passport from an aide,” Adekeye wrote.

No official response had been issued by security agencies at press time, and further details surrounding the development remain unclear.