We Must Outgrow Disregard For Rule Of Law, El-Rufai Says After Attempted Arrest
KADUNA – Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, said, yesterday, that the country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law, following an alleged attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday.
El-Rufai spoke after a video showing him confronting security personnel at the airport went viral on social media, sparking widespread reactions.
However, his lawyer accused security operatives of attempting to unlawfully arrest his client yesterday upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
In a brief post on X (formerly Twitter), the former governor said, “My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” el-Rufai wrote.
In a detailed statement later published on Facebook, el-Rufai’s lawyers described the incident as “a flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”
According to the legal team, el-Rufai had been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while he was already outside the country.
“The invitation from the EFCC was delivered to el-Rufai’s residence while he was already abroad, rendering it inherently illogical and impractical to demand immediate attendance,” the statement reads.
The lawyers disclosed that they had been in formal communication with the EFCC since December 2025, assuring the commission that el-Rufai would honour the invitation upon his return to Nigeria.
They added that the EFCC was specifically informed that he would voluntarily appear at its office by 10am on Monday, February 16, 2026.
Despite this assurance, the lawyers alleged, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) moved to arrest el-Rufai upon his arrival from Cairo aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877, without presenting any warrant or formal invitation.
“When he calmly demanded to see the letter of invitation, a basic entitlement of any citizen facing state action, none could be produced. No document, no signed directive, no lawful process,” the statement added.
The legal team further alleged that el-Rufai’s international passport was seized without lawful authority, describing the action as an unlawful taking of private property.
The lawyers also claimed that members of the public at the airport protested the attempted arrest, insisting that any arrest must follow due legal process.
According to the statement, the incident violated several provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), including the rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, dignity of the human person, freedom of movement and right to property.
The statement was signed by Ubong Esop Akpan of the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, counsel to el-Rufai, and dated February 12, 2026.
