Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of orchestrating an attempted “abduction” at the Abuja International Airport, claiming that security agencies are being deployed for political purposes against opposition figures.
Speaking in an interview on Arise News on Friday, El-Rufai said operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attempted to detain him without a formal warrant upon his return from Cairo, despite prior communication with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“It wasn’t the EFCC,” he clarified. “It was the DSS, but they were procured to abduct me by the ICPC, which has never communicated with me before.”
The former governor recounted that shortly after disembarking, a DSS officer approached him, requesting that he accompany them to their office.
El-Rufai insisted on seeing a formal invitation letter, which he said the officers could not produce.
“Apparently, they had mobilised about 50 DSS operatives with instructions to detain and abduct me,” he alleged.
“I refused to go without a proper letter. Even the president cannot compel me to do anything against my will in a democratic country.”
He claimed that while he proceeded through immigration and exited the airport, one of his aides was assaulted and had his passport seized by the operatives.
El-Rufai added that other passengers intervened spontaneously, preventing further escalation.
El-Rufai said that the EFCC had formally invited him for questioning while he was abroad, and he had responded through his lawyers, arranging to meet the commission at a later date.
He alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had instead orchestrated the airport incident, citing instructions from former ICPC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu.
“This is a modus operandi of the ICPC that has increasingly become a personal tool of Nuhu Ribadu,” El-Rufai said.
“He made the call that I must be in custody yesterday.”
While defending his record in office, El-Rufai challenged anyone to provide evidence of wrongdoing during his 16 years in public service, noting that previous investigations under former President Goodluck Jonathan yielded no convictions.
He also dismissed claims that his administration engaged armed groups or paid bandits, emphasizing that Kaduna State maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward criminal activity.
On accusations of harassment of dissenting voices, he said: “Our security strategy addressed communal violence and tribal intolerance.
”Anyone publishing potentially inflammatory falsehoods was investigated through proper channels.”
El-Rufai stressed that the airport incident did not constitute a lawful arrest, stating: “Arrest has a legal meaning. When you attempt to take a person without a valid order, it’s not an arrest—it’s an abduction.”
He said he had no intention of evading lawful scrutiny but will not submit to what he described as political intimidation.
“I will go to them. I have nothing to hide. But there is a clear difference between lawful process and political harassment,” he said.
