Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has criticised what he described as an unlawful attempt to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
According to accounts from his legal representatives, security operatives approached El-Rufai on Thursday upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt. The operatives, reportedly from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, are said to have attempted to arrest him and seized his international passport.
His counsel, Ubong Esop Akpan, has demanded the immediate return of the passport and called for what he described as the “unlawful efforts” to detain his client to cease. In a statement, the legal team characterised the incident as an infringement on El-Rufai’s rights and warned that legal action could follow if the matter is not resolved.
The EFCC has not, as of the time of this report, issued a public statement detailing the basis for the attempted action.
In a post on his verified X account, El-Rufai described the episode as illegal and warned against what he termed executive overreach. He argued that Nigeria must “outgrow deliberate disregard for the rule of law,” framing the incident within a broader concern about institutional conduct.
The episode comes amid ongoing national conversations about accountability, due process, and the balance between anti-corruption enforcement and civil liberties.
For now, the central questions remain procedural: whether due process was followed, what legal grounds underpinned the action, and how the relevant agencies intend to proceed.
As the situation develops, clarity from official sources will be critical in determining the legal and political implications of the incident.