On Thursday, February 12, 2026, security agents reportedly attempted to arrest Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, upon his arrival at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from Cairo, Egypt.
The incident was revealed by El-Rufai’s Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, through a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Adekeye, operatives confronted the former governor as he disembarked and tried to take him into custody.
El-Rufai reportedly refused to comply, maintaining that he would not go with them unless he received a formal invitation.
Read Also: Why I May Be Arrested Soon — El-Rufai
Adekeye’s statement detailed the encounter: “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.”
He further alleged that the security personnel forcibly took El-Rufai’s travel documents, adding, “They, however, snatched his passport from an aide.”
This confrontation follows El-Rufai’s recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service, where he predicted his own arrest after several of his associates were detained.
During that interview, he noted, “Four people we worked together in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too.”
El-Rufai, a former APC stalwart who recently moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has become a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He has characterized the recent legal actions against opposition figures—including the arrest and trial of former Attorney General Abubakar Malami—as a “political witch-hunt” and a means of forcing politicians to align with the ruling party for survival.
As of the time of the report, neither the Nigerian Immigration Service nor the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had issued an official response to the claims.
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