Onanuga: El-Rufai ‘Not Above the Law’ Over Wire-Tapping Allegation

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Bola Tinubu, has called for a full investigation into allegations made by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai regarding alleged surveillance and an attempted arrest.

The controversy followed El-Rufai’s appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, where he claimed that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, ordered his arrest. He alleged that security operatives attempted to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Thursday.

El-Rufai further alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) deployed the Department of State Services to carry out the operation. He claimed the action was personally authorised by Ribadu and suggested that he was aware of the plan because his associates had intercepted communications.

Reacting on X, formerly Twitter, Onanuga described the remarks as a potential admission of illegal wire-tapping and questioned whether El-Rufai and his associates had access to surveillance equipment.

In his post, Onanuga stated that the matter should be thoroughly investigated and stressed that no individual is above the law.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju weighed in on the development, describing the alleged attempted arrest as “karma” catching up with the former governor. However, he expressed doubts about whether there was a concrete plan to detain El-Rufai.

Adeyanju noted that under Nigerian law, arrests must be backed by a valid court warrant or probable cause, adding that existing legal frameworks provide due process for detaining any citizen, including a former governor.