Nigeria must outgrow disregard for rule of law – says El-Rufai after airport saga

Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has accused security operatives of attempting to unlawfully arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after his return from Cairo, Egypt.

El-Rufai disclosed the incident in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, describing the move as an abuse of power and a violation of due process.

“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.

He further criticised what he termed growing executive excesses, stating, “Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”

Earlier reports indicated that security agents approached the former governor upon landing and allegedly sought to detain him without presenting a formal warrant or documented invitation.

In a separate statement, his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, claimed that the operatives attempted to take El-Rufai into custody but were resisted on procedural grounds. According to Adekeye, the former governor insisted that any invitation must follow lawful channels.

“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,” the statement read.

Adekeye further alleged that during the encounter, security personnel seized El-Rufai’s international passport from one of his aides before withdrawing from the scene.

“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, no official clarification has been issued by any security agency regarding the alleged attempted arrest or the reported seizure of the former governor’s passport.

The development has reignited public debate over the conduct of security agencies and renewed concerns about claims of executive overreach, particularly in matters involving opposition figures and former public office holders.